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Buy the Book
Engaging Israel
Yehuda Avner’s engaging memoir of service to four prime ministers.
The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli
Leadership
By Yehuda Avner
(The Toby Press, 730 pages, $29.95)
Yehuda Avner is a retired Israeli civil servant who served as an adviser and speechwriter to four prime ministers — Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, and Menachem Begin — before becoming Israel’s ambassador to Great Britain. Now in his eighties, Avner has produced a splendidly written memoir that succeeds in bringing these Israeli leaders to life. Although not the most scholarly or comprehensive book ever written about Israel, The Prime Ministers is by far the most engaging political history I have ever come across.
Consider Avner’s account of an exchange between Menachem Begin and President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, over the wording of a draft U.S.-Israeli statement to be issued after the conclusion of talks in Washington:
“Totally acceptable except for two sentences,” [Begin declared.]
“And what are they?”
“Please delete ‘The United States affirms Israel’s inherent right to exist.’”
“Why so?”
“Because the United States’ affirmation of Israel’s right to exist is not a favor, nor is it a negotiable concession. I shall not negotiate my existence with anybody, and I need nobody’s affirmation of it.”
Brzezinski’s expression was one of surprise. “But to the best of my knowledge every Israeli prime minister has asked for such a pledge.”
“I sincerely appreciate the president’s sentiment,” said Begin, “but our Hebrew Bible made that pledge and established our right over our land millennia ago. Never, throughout the centuries, did we ever abandon or forfeit that right. Therefore, it would be incompatible with my responsibilities as prime minister of Israel were I not to ask you to erase this sentence.” And then, without pause, “Please delete, too, the language regarding the commitment to Israel’s survival.”
“And in what sense do you find that objectionable?”
“In the sense that we, the Jewish people alone, are responsible for our country’s survival, no one else.”
Wordlessly, and seemingly perplexed, the national security adviser deleted the offending sentences, upon which the prime minister expressed himself totally satisfied.
This whole exchange is vintage Begin. A survivor of the Soviet gulag and a former leader in Israel’s pre-state underground, Begin was obsessed with Jewish honor, both personal (“A Jew bows to no one but God,” was one of his favorite maxims) and national. His unyielding insistence upon Israel’s historic rights to biblical Judea and Samaria (a.k.a. the “West Bank”), drove his American interlocutors crazy, but they recognized that once Begin gave his word, he would never go back on it. To do so would be dishonorable.
Golda Meir, though equally devoted to Israel’s security, was a different personality altogether. Her passion was not for Jewish honor, but for social justice — and just as Zionism would bring justice to the Jews, so in her view would socialism bring justice to the world. But Golda’s belief in socialism was shaken to the core during the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when her fellow social democrats in Western Europe turned their backs on Israel as it struggled to hold back a massive Soviet-Arab onslaught, and only Richard Nixon — an American president known neither for his philosemitism nor for his commitment to social justice — came to Israel’s rescue. With American weaponry, Israel (at a terribly high cost) eventually won the Yom Kippur War, but an embittered Golda Meir subsequently gave vent to her anger at a meeting of the Socialist International.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (11) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Joseph Shattan
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Roger Kaplan| 12.14.10 @ 8:23AM
Bravo! This is an excellent piece on Yehuda Avner, who all his life has typified Israel's grace and courage under relentless pressure. Joe Shattan's quietly asserted reminder that the unobserved, vicious bureaucratic maneuverings inside our own foreign policy apparat are part of that relentless pressure could not be more timely. It is not inconceivable that had the Arabists (by any other name) in the Carter-Reagan transition period not done their work so well, the Begin Doctrine, as Shattan so aptly calls it, might have had Reagan's enthusiastic support and the whole inflection of U.S. policy in this area would have been different, saving us -- and the Arabs - a whole lot of trouble and pain. Might, shmight, must we always reinvent wheels? Read Avner -- and Shattan -- to get a refresher on basics. In Washington, it's always so easy to forget them.
Alan Brooks| 12.15.10 @ 12:02AM
"Golda Meir was an IDF-lady ISRAEL-FIRSTER!
Eric Cartman| 12.14.10 @ 12:06PM
Damn! Another book I have to read between semesters. I like the story of Begin's editing. What has always puzzled me was socialism embraced by so many Israelis. Maybe this read will explain it somewhat for me.
Occam's Tool| 12.14.10 @ 5:23PM
Dear Eric,
I believe it was the desire for utopianism that drove socialism in Israel, at least until it nearly destroyed the economy. I believe the economic liberalization (in the classic sense) of Israel began during Bibi's 1st term. Now, of course, it has more startups per capita than we do (see Start Up Nation). By the way, this one is available on Kindle. I hope your studies and Christmas break go very well. I love the stuff you write.
Eric Cartman| 12.15.10 @ 12:27AM
Thank you for the nice thoughts. And I your intellectual thrusts and parries with the rabble-rousers of the Left :-) The wife has been dropping hints about my very own Kindle! I can't wait! But I must say, I don't think it will ever replace the book. I have to have those pages to mark, ruffle, draw on. Just isn't the same. But I'm excited to get one. Let's hope the season will be a peaceful one.
Boomerbabe| 12.15.10 @ 12:49AM
And holiday wishes to both of you, too. I enjoy your postings, and others so much! You articulate so well what I am thinking, and your humor, Eric, is truly a treasure. I'm still laughing from a post of yours from a couple of days ago. I will even wish Alan Brooks a Happy Holiday, just because he gives you so much material!
RCV| 12.15.10 @ 7:16PM
Eric - like you, I thought I would hate the Kindle my kids got me. But I've come to love it, especially when traveling - no more suitcases jammed with books!
Have yourself a merry Christmas or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate.
RCV| 12.14.10 @ 1:30PM
This does look like a good read. My understanding of the question you raise is that many of the early zionist organizations had their roots in labor organizations of Jewish workers from Europe -- Hisradut -- and they were the ones who brought the kibbutzum and moshavim movements to early Israel.
As with most utopian movements, however, the zeal for collective kibbutzum died after the first generation. People naturally gravitated to their "who took my cheese" and "my child is special, so he/she deserves more" human natures.
Eric Cartman| 12.14.10 @ 3:48PM
Could very well be. I always thought it had something to do with security - all pull together for a strong front theory. Have to pick up the book over the holidays - sounds like a great read.
Christopher| 12.14.10 @ 4:46PM
"A Jew bows to nobody but God."
Obama has bowed to every dictator he meets. What a difference between leaders such as Begin and Bibi and our Obama. Begin and Bibi and Golda were proud to be Israelis, Obama seems embarassed to be an American, and Michelle was not proud until hubby got nominated.