“Based on interviews with dozens of people and research in more than twenty archival collections, [this] cleareyed biography deserves to be called definitive.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Born in South Africa, educated in England, and ultimately a major figure in Israeli history, Abba Eban was a skilled debater, a master of multiple languages, and a passionate defender of the Jewish state. But his diplomatic presence was in many ways a contradiction unlike any the world has seen since. While he was celebrated internationally for his exceptional wit and his moderate, reasoned worldview, these same qualities painted him as elitist and foreign in his home country. The disparity in perception of Eban at home and abroad was such that both his critics and his friends agreed that he would have been a wonderful prime minister—in any country but Israel. In Abba Eban, Asaf Siniver paints a nuanced and complete portrait of one of the most complex figures in twentieth-century foreign affairs. We see Eban growing up and coming into his own as part of the Cambridge Union, and watch him steadily become known as “The Voice of Israel.” Siniver draws on a vast amount of interviews, writings, and other newly available material to show that, in his unceasing quest for stability and peace for Israel, Eban’s primary opposition often came from the homeland he was fighting for; no matter how many allies he gained abroad, the man never understood his own domestic politics well enough to be as effective in his pursuits as he hoped. The first examination of Eban in nearly forty years, this is a fascinating look at a life that still offers a valuable perspective on Israel today. “Siniver’s principal achievement is his artful documentation of the tension between Eban the intellectual and Eban the politician. Such lofty thoughts do not distract Mr. Siniver from listing the indiscretions and dishonesty to which Eban, in his politician’s guise, occasionally succumbed.” —The Wall Street Journal “Siniver’s levelheaded account looks at the history of Israel through the life of the country’s eloquent defender.” —TheNew York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)

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Israel's long-time foreign minister recounts in the first-person dramatic events in which he was a key participant on the world stage: Israel's 1948 war of independence, the 1956 Suez campaign, the Six-day war in 1967 and the Yom Kippur war in 1973. “An autobiography that makes compelling reading... Eban’s words and deeds derive from his commitment to the principle of partition [of ancient Palestine]... Eban’s testament is not only elegant, but timely.” — James Chace, The New York Times “A ‘compelling’ and well-written autobiography by the former foreign minister of Israel that ‘dramatizes the debates within the Zionist movement that has characterized the modern history of Israel.’” — The New York Times “This personal story is an informal and informative history of Israel's diplomacy since before the birth of the state and also includes a mixture of philosophic reflection and views on personalities and politics, all presented in Eban's well-known felicitous style.” — John C. Campbell, Foreign Affairs “Eban's engrossing autobiography tells us a great deal about both the author and his political activities on behalf of Israel in the world arena... Impeccably written... Eban's autobiography is an important political document and personal testimonial.” — Kirkus Reviews

The comapnion volume to the brilliant new five-part PBS series. From a distinguished statesman, diplomat, scholar, and bestselling author comes an intimate portrait of the Israeli history he both witnessed and helped to forge. 16 pages of black-and-white photos.

In this memoir, Suzy Eban describes growing up in a Zionist family in Ismailia and Cairo in the 1920s and 1930s, visits to her grandparents in Palestine, the 1929 Arab riots near her grandparents’ Motza farmhouse outside Jerusalem, Aubrey (later Abba) Eban’s courtship, their marriage in 1945, Abba’s diplomatic role in pre-State Israel, his elevation at a young age as Israel’s first ambassador to the UN and to the US. Suzy recounts her role as a diplomat’s wife, a mother and a community activist (she was head of the Israel Cancer Association for almost 40 years), offers candid assessments of prominent political women in Israeli politics, Vera Weizmann, Golda Meir, Rachel Ben-Zvi and Paula Ben-Gurion, and gives insights about the rough-and-tumble Israeli politics of the 1980s. “This beautifully written, intelligent, and comprehensive memoir will reward readers interested in a behind-the-scenes understanding of Israeli history and politics.” — Deborah Schoeneman, Jewish Book Council “The first 100 or so pages of [Suzy Eban’s] narrative are absolutely scrumptious. Possessed of a sharp eye and a deft hand (parts of this section were published decades ago in an earlier form in The New Yorker), Eban excels at conjuring up the sights, sounds, scents and other sensuous evocations of her childhood in the 1920s and ‘30s in Ismailia” — Ina Friedman, Ha’aretz “Suzy Eban has provided a timely reminder of the vacuum left by [Abba] Eban's absence.” — Colin Schindler, The Jerusalem Post “Suzy [Eban] reveals through her ‘recollections’ a talent for evocative prose... The book’s many delights include intriguing snippets on Chaim Weizmann, David Ben Gurion, and their wives, Vera and Paula, and an emotional description of Suzy’s return to the country of her birth following President Anwar Sadat’s peace mission to Israel in 1977.” — Simon Round, Jewish Chronicle

Geschiedenis van het Joodse volk, geschreven door de ex-ministers van buitenlandse zaken.

A perspective on the practice of diplomacy during the second half of the 20th century and the diplomatic changes of the post-Cold War era. Abba Eban interweaves history with personal reminiscences to show how the wisdom of the past can help in negotiating and maintaining peace in the future.