Israel: The Will to Prevail

As one of the Likud’s most staunchly conservative MKs, Danon has devoted much of his life to hasbara—Israeli public advocacy or propaganda. Here, he offers a tendentious screed that makes no effort to convince anyone who is the least bit skeptical of the author’s hardline views. Arguing that “Israel must take firm hold of its own destiny, with a ready willingness to act decisively on its own behalf,” Danon suggests that Israel should rely less on the fickle support of the U.S. and should regard the disapprobation of the international community with indifference or disdain. Danon refuses to use the terms “West Bank” or “settlement,” preferring instead the ideologically loaded “Judea and Samaria” and “Jewish community,” and sarcastically rebranding the Arab spring as the “Arab Winter.” Only about 5% of the book concerns Israel’s future strategies, the rest being a revisionist rehash of why “the Jewish people’s claim to Israel is older and stronger than any other people’s in the history of the world.” When Danon describes his preferred endgame, his extremism truly shines through. He makes the case for a “three-state solution” (briefly considered and determined to be utterly unviable even in 1967) involving Israel, Egypt, and Jordan and denying forever any Palestinian national aspirations: “Talks on the establishment of a Palestinian State must cease, effective immediately.” Agent: Carol Mann, the Carol Mann Agency. (Sept.)