Forty years ago, Israel used assassinations, sabotage, and targeted strikes to set back Iraq’s nuclear program. Today it is following a similar playbook in Iran.
Ronen Bergman’s pageturner on the history of Israeli assassinations, Rise and Kill First, revels in the jokes the killers make about their targets. “That man died of natural causes by swallowing a pillow.” “No dog, no rabies.” “Someone who deserves his ticket on the train to elimination.” The language is morally degrading and serves to justify killing Arabs, who are voiceless in the book.