A man of security, not peace

The following excerpts are taken from a Slate piece discussing the new biography of Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres:

Statesman and Politician

Peres has had many good ideas, and many bad ones, but he's always had ideas, and he's always fought for them. Many of them did in fact come to fruition: the strategic alliance with France in the '50s, the Dimona nuclear project in the '60s, the Oslo accords in the '90s. The author of the biography, Michael Bar-Zohar, argues that Peres is "a mediocre politician, yet a statesman of splendid vision." You could also argue the exact opposite. How else could his astonishing political career - spanning more than 60 years and still counting - be explained?

Peres is the ultimate political survivor. Now, in his 84th year, he is seeking the presidency of the country to which he has dedicated his life and energy. And we can predict only this much: If he loses, yet again, it would not be the end of him.

Israel and World

Beyond his nation's borders, Shimon Peres is known as an elder statesman, a Nobel Prize winner, a man of peace - after all, he initiated the Oslo accords and pushed for a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict. Israelis see him as the perpetual political loser that he is. They mostly think of Peres as the "relentless underminer" - a term Rabin coined. "He deserves a mention in the Guinness Book of Records as the champion of absorbing blows and insults," according to political analyst Nahum Barnea.

That's why this book (just out in English, published last year in Hebrew) is so important and so illuminating. It will prevent the world from looking at Peres through misleading lenses (this apparent dove bears significant responsibility for the settlement boom of the early '70s), but more importantly, it will make Israelis more appreciative of his long years in politics.

Security and Peace

Peres might want to be remembered as the man who brought peace to Israel, but his most notable peace initiative - the Oslo accords - remains controversial. Here's what the new book tells us in a way that's hard to dispute: Peres' real achievements involve security, not peace. Some examples are the arms deals made right after Israel's inception in which it secured the means to defend itself; the nuclear vision, and against all odds and over many objections; the Entebbe operation, in which the IDF was able to free hostages in a breath-taking raid on a faraway airport in Uganda.

Past and Present

This is a melancholy book for Israelis. Peres is the last founding father who is still active, and reading about his life is a reminder of the treacherous waters Israel has had to navigate in order to become what it is today: a strong, vibrant, democratic, prosperous country, situated in a bad neighborhood. But it is also a sad reminder of its declining class of leaders.

Peres, for all the flaws this book so mercilessly reveals, is a giant compared with Israel's current leaders. Reminding people of this will be the book's ultimate victory - and we can only hope that Peres, relentless and insistent as always, will not stand in its way.