by RobertLittell (Author), ShimonPeres (Author)
Presents five conversations between novelist and former Newsweek correspondnet Robert Littell and Shimon Peres, in which Peres refelcts on: his youth in shetl and kibbutz; the impact of the Holocaust on world affairs; what it means to be a Jew; and the ongoing struggle to end terrorism and forge peace between Israel and its neighbours. Completed in late 1996 and 1997, the interviews in the text reflect the changed state of Israel since the assassination of Yitzak Rabin and the subsequent election of a Likud-led governemnt in Israel and its renegotiation of aspects of the Oslo agreements. Peres speaks of his negotiations with Arafat and of his relationship with Rabin. He gives his views on public figures he has known (Mitterand, Yeltsin, Reagan and Clinton), the qualities of good leadership, and the dangers of fundamentalism and religious parties.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 206
Edition: 1st
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 20 Mar 1998
ISBN 10: 080185928X
ISBN 13: 9780801859281
Peres presents himself with neither artifice nor pretense. Conceived as an historical document, Defending Israel is a work that is at once candid, personal, and comprehensive. -- La Depeche de midi, reviewing the French edition
There have been many books by and about Peres. For the Future of Israel, however, probably comes closest to unlocking the essential enigma of the man... The book is rich in anecdotes and insights which goes well beyond the narrow confines of politics to unearth the real character of the man -- and, inter alia, the story of Israel itself... A true renaissance figure who devours poetry, novels, philosophy, and political history, Peres at 75 appears to be as energetic and inquisitive about the world as ever... What lingers in the mind of the reader is his eclectic character, his keen wit and breadth of vision, which remains far ahead of his time. -- Lawrence Joffe, Jewish Chronicle (U.K.)