Ami Pedahzur to MESH:

My conclusions have implications beyond the Israeli case for policymaking. Most policymakers might be surprised to learn that the demise of terrorist groups and the end of terrorist campaigns in the past have had little to do with offensive counterterrorist measures applied against them. The only approach that has dramatically reduced the number of terrorist attacks and their lethality is the “defensive” one. Sending military forces after the terrorists is much less effective than enhancing security in public areas and relying on domestic intelligence organizations and police forces. And most democracies, despite their declared policies, end up negotiating with terrorists on a frequent basis and cut deals with them.

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Product Description

While Mossad is known as one of the world's most successful terrorist-fighting organizations, the state of Israel has, more than once and on many levels, risked the lives of its agents and soldiers through unwise intelligence-based intervention. The elimination of Palestinian leaders and militants has not decreased the incidence of Palestinian terrorism, for example. In fact, these incidents have become more lethal than ever, and ample evidence suggests that the actions of Israeli intelligence have fueled terrorist activities across the globe.

An expert on terror and political extremism, Ami Pedahzur argues that Israel's strict reliance on the elite units of the intelligence community is fundamentally flawed. A unique synthesis of memoir, academic research, and information gathered from print and online sources, Pedahzur's complex study explores this issue through Israel's past encounters with terrorists, specifically hostage rescue missions, the first and second wars in Lebanon, the challenges of the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian terrorist groups, and Hezbollah. He brings a rare transparency to Israel's counterterrorist activities, highlighting their successes and failures and the factors that have contributed to these results. From the foundations of this analysis, Pedahzur ultimately builds a strategy for future confrontation that will be relevant not only to Israel but also to other countries that have adopted Israel's intelligence-based model.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59234 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-13
• Released on: 2009-02-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 232 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. As the U.S. has grappled with the specter and reality of terrorism, American leaders have routinely consulted with Israels experts to fashion a similar offensive approach to extremists. But Israeli author Pedahzur (Violence: Defending Democracy) makes a compelling case for one inconvenient if underreported fact: Israels approach hasnt worked. Dividing the potential responses to terrorism into four categories (defensive, reconciliatory, criminal -justice and war), the author tracks the development of an Israeli war model and demonstrates that rather than sending terrorists running, the approach leads to an escalating cycle of terrorism, citing many examples in which Israels elimination of threats has created the impetus for more violence. This book makes an excellent case that the war model is flawed not only because it undermines civil liberties... but also because it is simply unsuitable for the challenge of terrorism and causes the security establishment to deviate from dealing with other, more imminent threats. While Pedahzurs style leans toward the dryly academic, his insights are so well reasoned and relevant that the pages almost turn themselves. (Feb.)
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Review

"[Pedahzur's] insights are so well reasoned and relevant that the pages almost turn themselves." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A] superb examination of Israel's secret services." -- Daniel Byman, New York Post

"More than entertaining spy stories... this book will be a great aid to other Western countries around the world struggling to confront terror." -- Jewish Book World

"[Pedahzur] offers a brilliant description of Israel's fight against terrorism from 1948 to the present." -- Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

"A fascinating history of counterterrorism by Israeli security agencies... Highly recommended." -- Choice

Review

"Replete with detail, vignettes, and insights, this book provides a unique inside account of the Israeli intelligence and security services' sixty-year-long struggle against terrorism. It is the most comprehensive and authoritative depiction and analysis of this struggle currently available in the English language." -- Bruce Hoffman, author of Inside Terrorism

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Customer Reviews

A book of invaluable information
As someone who has written my master thesis on inteligence and counterterrorism in Israel between 1967 and 1979, I'd wish I had this book when i wrote my thesis. It would have made my quest for sources and material so much easier. An excellent source for people interested in intelligence and how intelligence effects counterterrorist strategies.

Wow! The best of the best indeed.
I will not reveal the info in those readings; I just said that the author, a political extremism and terrorism scholar from Israel and a former IDF soldier has found a great correlation in the Israeli counterterrorism doctrine that you will need to fine by yourself in the book. While making his point he reveals so much valuable information about the Palestinian/Israeli/Hezbollah conflict that the book is turn into a handbook by accident.

excellent, highly recommended
A really great read that examines the Israeli response to security threats from the PLO, Black October and Hamas. The author emphasizes the lack of communication and aggressive competition between branches of the Israeli security services resulting in unsuccessful operations. The book follows the Israeli policy of assasinatons, clearly maping out the deaths of random Black October and PLO members, and addressing the failed attempt to assasinate Khaled Mishal. Despite the author being Israeli, and the title using "terrorists" I was pleasantly suprised that there is absolutly no bias, and in fact the author is highly critical of Israeli policy. The major flaw of the book is that the final chapter attempts to remedy the terrorist threat by recommending the implemention of a new structural organization of the Israeli intellegience and secret service operations. It would have been nice for the author to instead address the underlying problem, that the Palestinians need a homeland so that they no longer find it necessary to struggle, resist and attack Israeli targets. Instead the author suggests a 'band-aid' solution, which left me shaking my head.

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.