Israel : the will to prevail /

Danon is deputy speaker of Israel's Knesset and at 41 is regarded as a rising star within the Likud party, despite his frequent criticism of the policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Damon is an unapologetic and evidently uncompromising Zionist, and this political tract is a strident and disturbing affirmation of his views. He begins with the premise that Israel has too often followed the lead of the U.S. rather than pursuing its own interests. Many in the U.S. who have dealt with the current Israeli government would find that assertion preposterous. Danon rejects the two-state solution and favors annexation of not merely Jewish settlements but much of the West Bank territory. For the Palestinians, he offers little but contempt and an absurd 3 state solution with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt administering Palestinian land and affairs. Decades ago, Danon and his ideas would have been viewed as beyond the pale. Today they are probably taken seriously by large segments of the Israeli public. So, offensive as it may be to some, his writing must be taken into account in viewing the political landscape of Israel.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist

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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.