I began writing this book on October 8, 2023, after a sleepless night. I had watched, on a foreign channel, the horror in the settlements at the Gaza border, and, for a change, the boisterous street protests in favor of Hamas in foreign capitals. I knew that this crucial chapter of history would be distorted and falsified by lies and fake news, as well as emotions, blind fanaticism, insane hatred of some and foolish adoration of others. I felt that my duty was to tell the truth about these apocalyptic events that shook the world. But to tell the truth now, today, not in a year or two or five. Now. History can wait for years until most of the true facts emerge and become available to the researcher. But this book cannot wait. False news and reports are flooding the media, the campuses, the gullible minds of young students and adult militants. While writing this book, I wanted my reader to follow the events exactly as I did, breathe the atmosphere, relive these dramatic months at my side, feel the pain. the determination, the inner strife and the soul searching of the Israelis. I tried to write the truth. I tried to be objective, but not impartial. One can’t be impartial. Ever.
Michael Bar-Z0har’s “Iron Swords, Bleeding Hearts”, provides in-depth insight into the failures of security on the day of the massacre and what to avoid….
…. Unforeseeable irony and almost prophetic foreshadowing for Nasrallah’s eventual end… A harrowing account of the numerous political, intelligence and operational failures leading to October 7, meticulously laid out… Bar-Zohar has a priceless number of anecdotes and unique perspectives from his exclusive coverage of titans like David Ben-Gurion, Shimon Peres, and others..,
The most important aspects of Bar-Zohar’s book are forward-looking: How must Israel and the West understand the challenge of fundamentalist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Islamic regime of Iran?
Bar-Zohar was cognizant that October 7 was not just about killing 1,200 Israelis, taking over 250 hostages, and the failures that led to this – but rather how this event and Israels response would reshape the Middle East afterward.
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”Key Lessons from October 7: How the Lebanon war must end”, Yonah Jeremy Bob, The Jerusalem Post, October 15, 2024