Shimon Peres: The Biography [Hardcover]

Shimon Peres is today the world's senior statesman. He has been in the center of Israel politics for close to sixty years. As a young assistant of Ben- Gurion he made critical contributions to Israel's early struggles for independence and survival. It was Peres more than anyone else who formed the Franco-Israeli alliance key to the 56' Sinai Campaign. It was Peres who initiated the program of cooperation with France which led to the Dimona nuclear reactor project.
Peres in his early years was Mr. Security, and contributed greatly to the building of Israel's Army and power of deterrence.
Peres has always been a person of vision and ideas. In fact the writer Amos Oz is quoted by Bar- Zohar as saying that Peres had more 'vision' than any other Israeli leader including Ben- Gurion.
This capacity for dreaming great dreams has however often gotten Peres in trouble with the Israeli public. The most conspicuous example of this is the Oslo Peace process which he is considered to be a principal architect of. There was great hope in 1993 when Peres and Rabin signed a peace treaty on the White House lawn with Arafat. But since then the whole process has unraveled , and is considered now to have been a major mistake in Israeli policy.
Bar-Zohar tells of the paradoxical qualities of Peres who has time and again lost critical elections which appeared at first to be in the bag. This is the Peres who twice was an excellent Prime Minister of Israel and also served throughout his long career as Defense Minister, Transport Minister, Information Minister, and more.
This biography opens with a dramatic scene at Ichilov hospital after the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin. Peres the long-time rival and at this point ally of Rabin is called upon again in the critical moment to serve Israel. He does it with responsibility, and decisiveness of a kind which often makes him enemies.
This detailed story of one person really tells the history of modern Israel . Peres after all has been involved in so many crucial decisions whether for right, in his urging the Entebbe rescue operation, or for wrong in his opposing Begin's bombing of the nuclear reactor in Iraq.
In his ninth decade and still going strong as Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Peres is candidate for the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli Presidency.
This is the story of a devoted, courageous responsible visionary Israeli and human being, who has made many mistakes in his life. These mistakes as Bar- Zohar amply makes clear have been more than cancelled out by his remarkable contribution to the building of modern Israel.
This is a highly recommended wonderfully readable biography.

I was concerned when I saw the subtitle "The Biography" as though it were the definitive word on Shimon Peres. Peres--the Israeli "Mr Security", "the Energizer Peacemaker" who has picked himself up and returned to the arena so many times, and is now serving ably as President at the age of 84. How could you capture the wisdom and hope, the failings and mistakes of one of Israel's larger-than-life leaders? Amazingly, Michael Ben-Zohar with access to Peres, his friends and enemies, has made this a most readable page-turner and has captured a broad swath of Israeli history. Peres was present at the creation of the Jewish state, and has witnessed countless wars and many efforts at peace, sometimes when he was the architect. Yes, this is "The Biography" well worth reading, whether you are reliving this history or reading about it for the first time. Extraordinarily well done!

Political leaders biographies written by friends are usually dull proproganda that omit many unfavorable facts. So I purchased SHIMON PERES with a lot of skepticism and trepidation. But the author Bar-Zohar has avoided this common mistake and in doing so has proven the value and rewards for the reader. Peres agreeing not to involve himself in the work until completion combined with Bar-Zohar's well-documented, tireless research resulted in a work worth reading. Sometimes I winced as I read about Peres'
journey or groaned when I read about his actions and decisions. With dogged determination throughout his life, it is not a surprise that Peres would eventually become Israel's President. Entering Peres world did not endear this reader to him but increased my respect for a man who is committed to the survival and strength of Israel. I applaud Peres for challenging Bar-Zohar to document his life and mostly Bar-Zohar for ferreting out the facts that informed and created Peres' life. This book is a timeless, honest contribution to political history that anyone--from a gardener to a president-- should read and add to their library.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars