Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait

by Uri Dan

Overview

In 1954 reporter Uri Dan met a young military commander named Ariel Sharon and followed him closely for more than half a century. Dan became Sharon's trusted advisor and a witness to the defining moments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from secret meetings with heads of state to open warfare in the Sinai. This riveting combination of political history, narrative biography, interviews, and correspondence sheds new light on the conflict in the Middle East and provides an intimate, definitive portrait of Ariel Sharon—a man whose life is inextricably intertwined with Israel's destiny. With Hamas governing Palestine, Ariel Sharon gravely ill and the party he founded, the Kadima, in control of the Knesset, this book couldn't be more timely.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403984975
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/16/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Uri Dan is an accomplished reporter and contributor to the New York Post, the Jerusalem Post, and to the Israeli daily Ma’ariv. He has written a number of books including To the Promised Land, Blood Libel, and Eichmann Syndrome.

Table of Contents

Foreword * 1954: My First Meeting with Ariel Sharon * 1948: The War of Independence * 1956: The Suez Campaign * 1957: An Outstanding Officer * 1962: Adieu Margalith * 1967: The Six Day War * October 1967: Gur's Death * 1968: Repopulating the Promised Land * 1969-1973: Sharon against the Bar-Lev Line * 1970: Sharon Returns * 1973: The Yom Kippur War * 1974: Arik, King of Israel * 1981: Destroying Osirak * 1981: "Sharon Has Destroyed Yamit" * June 1982: The Lebanese War * 1982: Sharon's Black September * December 1982-January 1983: Sharon Besieged * 8 February 1983: The Kahan Commission Report * 1983-1984: "Ariel, Don't Resign!" * January 1991: Scud Rain over Israel * 1993-1994: Arafat Returns * October 1998: The Wye Plantation Agreements * February 1999: Lily Is Ill * 28 September 2000: Controversial Visit to the Temple Mount * November 2000: Sharon Targets the Top * 6 February 2001: Prime Minister Sharon * 2001: First Impressions * February-March 2001: Condoleezza's Legs * 1 June 2001: Suicide Bomb at the Dolphinarium * October 2001: Afghanistan * December 2001: Christmas in Bethlehem * January 2002: A Boatload of Weapons * March 2002: Massacre in Pesach * April 2002: "Massacre" in Jenin * 24 June 2002: Arafat Out * July 2002: Liquidation of Hamas Leaders * November 2002 – December 2003: Arik Corrupted? * June 2003: The Road Map * September 2004: A Plan for Israel * November 2004: Arafat's Death * September 2005: After the Disengagement * 2004-2005: A Mother's Advice * September 2005: Withdrawal from Gaza * September 2005: Speech to the United Nations * November 2005: Kadima * December 2005-January 2006 * Chronology

Editorial Reviews

interesting and revealing…” —The New York Post

“Whenever I needed to reach Ariel Sharon in a hurry, I would call Uri Dan and he would hand his cell phone to Arik. Uri was closer to this great Israeli than any other adviser or unabashed journalistic supporter, and their 50 year collaboration comes through loud and clear in this insider's biography.” —William Safire

“In his poignant and fascinating new book, Dan has drawn from over 50 years of personal memories to produce insightful, indeed loving, snapshots of the life of Ariel Sharon, one of the most significant and remarkable personalities in modern Jewish History. . . . Authenticity shines through Dan's book . . . [his] descriptions of combat ring true. . . . Dan's Sharon embodies the saga of Israel: personal tragedy, heroism, a wrestling with timeless moral issues, and above all, a struggle for survival as a Jew in a Jewish State.” —Robert Morgenthau, District Attorney, New York County

“The words you have written over a period of more than fifty years captivatingly recount a personal experience that few others have enjoyed. Better still: they have timelessly captured the crucial moments in the historic process of the rebirth of the Jewish nation in its country.” —Ariel Sharon

“A book of conversations with Sharon that takes readers through his words and thought processes during the events that became integral parts of Israel's history, as if they were proverbial fly on the wall.” —The Jerusalem Post

From the Publisher