Arafat's War

The Man and His Struggle to Conquer Israel

Efraim Karsh (View Bio)
Hardcover: Grove/Atlantic, 2003; Paperback: Grove/Atlantic, 2004.

"Too many biographers — including several authors who have written on Arafat's life — find themselves drawn to their subject, no matter how unattractive. Fortunately, Efraim Karsh does not fall into this trap. His sprightly, fact-filled and insightful review of the Palestinian leader's life presents him as he really is: 'a bloodthirsty terrorist with no respect for human's lives, impervious to his own people's needs and aspirations, and absolutely committed to Israel's destruction.' ARAFAT'S WAR shows how this evil, clever man scaled the ranks of Arab politics, then suckered the Israelis. Read it and understand the Arab war against Israel." — Daniel Pipes, author of MILITANT ISLAM REACHES AMERICA

"Karsh makes a lively case that Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat never intended to fulfill any of his peace commitments, and has in fact 'used peace as a strategic deception aimed at prolonging the eternal goal of Israel's destruction.'... The author draws on Arabic, Hebrew, and English-language sources to give what may be the most comprehensive account yet.... Well-argued, fast paced and engaging enough for those with a casual interest." — Publishers Weekly

"Jews and Arabs have argued for years about who killed the Oslo peace process. Efraim Karsh's ARAFAT'S WAR is a book to settle the argument. Yasser Arafat, the author shows us, isn't simply an ordinary thug. He is an inveterate terrorist addicted to bloodshed the way other men take to alcohol or heroin. His single, non-negotiable objective has remained constant: the complete destruction of the Jewish state.... The savage battle between Palestinians and Israelis is often presented as if it were historically predestined. But in this eye-opening and exhaustively researched book, Karsh shows us that it is in large part the product of a single man's pathological will." — New York Post

"Karsh's book may well have been titled 'The Case Against Arafat.' He dwells briefly on Arafat's boyhood, his early misadventures, his first murder (the account here, described by an eyewitness, is chilling), his struggle to gain absolute mastery of the Palestinian cause, and his sojourns — both of which ended violently — in Jordan and Lebanon. Most of the book, however, deals with the Oslo period.... Karsh has done his research well. He is particularly adept at capturing every instance of Arafatian doublespeak — the 'feigned moderation' for Western audiences, the frank avowals to destroy Israel to Arab ones.... As Karsh's narrative unfolds, it becomes abundantly clear that Arafat and the PLO remain what they have always been: dedicated to Israel's destruction. In his 40-year war against Israel, Karsh can detect no sign that Arafat has ever moderated his views. Karsh has written a polemic, but it is a necessary polemic that cuts through the mystagogy and wishful thinking surrounding Arafat and his movement." — Jerusalem Post