There is a tendency, I think, among some who write about the Nazi Germans to become – too put it mildly – somewhat too close to their subject. That is the case with this book…Read more…
It’s time to talk about peace, not separation
The late Amos Oz had a very appealing way of describing his vision for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. “I don’t believe in a sudden burst of mutual love between Israel and Palestine,” he…Read more…
Review: How to Cure a Fanatic, by Amos Oz
This tiny little book, which you can read in under an hour, is a reminder of how much Amos Oz is missed today. The book consists of two short speeches he gave in Germany in…Read more…
Review: A Freewheelin’ Time, by Suze Rotolo
It was one of the iconic images of the early 1960s: a young Bob Dylan walking down a snow-covered street in Manhattan, looking down, while a young woman clutching his left arm walks with him,…Read more…
Review: Between Friends, by Amos Oz
I lived for nearly 18 years on a kibbutz. Amos Oz, who passed a way a few weeks ago, also lived for a number of years on a kibbutz. This collection of stories takes place…Read more…
Review: Transcription, by Kate Atkinson
Having just read a couple of non-fiction books about the British people who worked for a German victory in the Second World War, I thought it was time to read a work of fiction on…Read more…
Review: Sara, by Garth Ennis
This new graphic novel is a beautifully-drawn, powerfully-told story about a group of seven Soviet female snipers during the Second World War. Sara, the best shot in the group, is plagued by doubts…Read more…
Review: The Traitors: A True Story of Blood, Betrayal and Deceit, by Josh Ireland
Having just read The Meaning of Treason by Rebecca West I was keen to read a more recent account of the British subjects who betrayed their country and worked on behalf of Nazi Germany. I…Read more…
Review: The Meaning of Treason, by Rebecca West
This extraordinary book, published in 1949, tells the stories of the trials of a number of British subjects who betrayed their country during the Second World War. The bulk of the book is a long…Read more…
Ann Coulter wants Jared Kushner to be deported
Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter is furious at Donald Trump for, in her view, caving in to the Democrats and putting an end (for now) to the US federal government shutdown. Coulter has long criticised…Read more…
Israeli elections 2019: Battle of the insiders
“I was a minister in Netanyahu’s government and know it’s impossible to create change from there.” Those are the words of Avi Gabbay, the embattled leader of Israel’s rapidly-fading Labor Party. But…Read more…
Review: Soviet Opposition to Stalin – A case study in World War II, by George Fischer
This short book was an early history of Vlasov movement, which during the second world war aimed to create a Russian army of “liberation” that would fight side by side with the Germans…Read more…
Review: German Rule in Russia, 1941-1945 by Alexander Dallin
Alexander Dallin, the son of the well-known Menshevik David Dallin, published this book in 1957. More than sixty years on, it is probably still the definitive text on the subject. The book is a…Read more…
The politicians all agree — and they are all wrong
Israel’s political leaders seem to agree on very little these days. But one thing does unite nearly all of them, which sounds good until you realize that they are all wrong. I’m referring to the…Read more…
Review: Soviet Partisan 1941-44, by Nik Cornish
In some parts of Europe, the stunning victories enjoyed by Hitler’s armed forces resulted in docile, subservient populations that were keen to avoid any further trouble. Whole countries…Read more…
Why Labor is dying — an international perspective
The Labor Party looks set to receive fewer seats in the Knesset than at any other time in its history. There is even the possibility, albeit a slim one, that it will disappear entirely by…Read more…
Review: No Tomorrow, by Luke Jennings
Codename Villanelle was one of the most fun books I read in 2017. I was disappointed by the hit BBC series “Killing Eve” which was based on it, and was reluctant to give this book…Read more…
Review: The London Cage, by Helen Fry
In the end, this is a book about morality. The London Cage was a top secret interrogation centre set up by British intelligence during the Second World War. Located in Kensington Palace Gardens, it…Read more…
Review: Night of Camp David, by Fletcher Knebel
The story about this book goes something like this: Published in 1965 and a best-seller at the time, this was not Fletcher Knebel’s best work. That would be Seven Days in May, a successful…Read more…
A Tale of Two Revolutions
The following is the text of my talk at Tbilisi State University on 30 November 2018. I’d like us all to imagine that it is 100 years ago today, the 30th of November 1918. The…Read more…