Summing Up: An Autobiography

Shamir's life story is full of high drama. Born in Poland in 1915, he emigrated to Palestine at age 20 and married his courier in the Zionist underground, Shulamit Levy. Deported by the British in 1946 to Eritrea, he left behind his wife and one-year-old son, whom he did not see again until the birth of Israel in 1948, after he made a dangerous escape from prison. In this outspoken autobiography, Israel's former prime minister defends his Likud Party's hard-line policies, recalls his exploits as a Mossad intelligence agent and as foreign minister, gives an insider's account of the Israeli air force's annihilation of an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 and aims withering barbs at Jimmy Carter, Shimon Peres, Meir Kahane and others. Shamir, who was defeated in the 1992 elections, castigates the Labor government for its pact with the PLO, calling it a reckless mistake that imperils Israel's security. Photos. (Sept.)