One Nation Under Israel [Paperback]

Hurley writes superbly and never rants. He doesn't need to: a calm, factual telling with credible documentation is all that's required. He speaks of how the original, more idealistic vision of Ben Gurion (albeit ably abetted by the terrorism of Begin & Shamir's bloody gangs) was later hi-jacked as these two entered politics as the Likud in 1977 and the entire future of Israel was jeopardized for the pseudo-religious dream of a "Greater Israel"; holding onto captured territories whatever the cost to ordinary Israelis, Palestinians and Americans (and it is great - to all!).

Hurley shows how virtually the entire US Congress is under the control of AIPAC, the huge Israeli lobby group; how successive administrations have been hamstrung by AIPAC in their efforts to achieve peace. AIPAC virtually makes US policy in all matters relating to Israel and this policy may often be against the interests of Israel AND, ominously, against the interests of the people of the United States. The most chilling revelations, for me, come when Hurley speaks of Israeli espionage in the USA. According to him, the US foreign policy-making and military research establishments are fully penetrated by Israeli intelligence: often, a new and top secret weapon will have hardly left the drawing board before Israeli defense experts are at the Pentagon asking for it. Sometimes acquiring it ahead of the US military.

Hurley sees Israel as being on a path to destruction and urges that it is the duty of the USA to demonstrate 'tough love' and deny Israel's extremist leaders, and especially AIPAC, the free hand they now have. He points out that AIPAC claims to represent all US Jewry but that many dissident voices have been suppressed under dire threat of social and career consequences. If these voices could only speak out loud and clear, Hurley says that the race to destruction could be halted.

Two deficiencies appear in the book. The first is that Likud is squarely blamed for Israel's taking the path to destruction, yet there were ten years following the six-day war and the subsequent election of Begin in which the Labor party was in power and could have avoided this. The second deficiency is that most of the book dwells in the late 1980s and we hunger for an update yet, as we read, we realize that things have changed very little and we see shadowy events of those times in bright sunlight today!

If and when ever America awakens to these undeniable realities, things will go badly for Israel and AIPAC will have much to answer for.

This book should be read with an open mind by everybody who cares about the future of the US and Israel.

Throughout the book, Hurley describes the insanity of the Likud party policies and the real and present danger of the religious radicals who seem to exercise influence over that gangster party and their apologists in the United States. But then he reverts to the astounding conclusion that the paranoia of Israel is justified in terms of the myth of the six million Jews who supposedly died at the hands of the Nazis in World War II. In this, the double-mindedness of the author is shocking. But therein, I believe lies the insanity of the zionist positon, which this book rather clearly defines.

Two stark criticisms are necessary. One is that the absence of an index makes this a less than useful reference. The other is a rather astounding omission in the author's rendering of early Jewish history. He recounts the division of the nations of Israel and Judah, the Babylonian and Assyrian captivities, the reign of Herod, the Roman occupation, and some fair detail around first century Jerusalem. In this account, one key character is somehow missing. That character is Jesus Christ. The omission can only have been intentional. Given that the entire system of ordering how we keep track of time in Western Civilization is based on the life of Christ and that Hurley seems to intentionally avoid any recognition of His influence, we can only conclude that Mr. Hurley has tried, and failed, to describe a most momentous aspect of our current world situation without paying any attention to the most important character to ever grace this fallen world. This omission can not have been accidental and deeply tarnishes this work.