Category: David Ben Gurion

Yossi Cohen: From the Shadows to the Hustings

On By Marc NadeauIn Anwar El-Sadat, Benjamin Netanyahu, David Ben Gurion, Donald Trump, HarperCollins, History, Israel, Jean Tulard, Leadership, Meir Dagan, Menachem Begin, Mohammed bin Salman, Mossad, Realism, The Sword of Freedom, Vladimir Putin, Winston Churchill, Yossi Cohen, Ze'ev JabotinskyLeave a comment

In the new world order that is taking shape, the special relationship between Israel and the United States remains paramount. To paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill’s description of his relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, “No lover ever studied every whim of his mistress” as closely as Benjamin Netanyahu did those of President Donald Trump. It therefore came as no surprise that the Israeli Prime Minister celebrated the arrival of 2026 last week at Mar-a-Lago. No one can dispute that Bibi is unparalleled when it comes to possessing a keen sense of history. But no statesman is eternal, and some actors are already jockeying to succeed him.

Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen is said to be among them, and the publication of his riveting memoir—The Sword of Freedom: Israel, Mossad, and the Secret War (Broadside Books)—will do little to calm speculation about a potential bid. The narrative spans forty-two years of service to Israel, at the heart of some of its most secret operations, including the iconic 2018 mission in which Mossad operatives seized Iran’s nuclear archives from a clandestine warehouse south of Tehran. Cohen notably served under the legendary Meir Dagan—who took him under his wing and is believed to have later recommended him to Prime Minister Netanyahu as a successor—and his aptitude for human relations, clearly a strength, naturally pointed him toward public life.

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In the footsteps of Golda Meir

On By Marc NadeauIn Antisemitism, Benjamin Netanyahu, David Ben Gurion, Deborah E. Lipstadt, Golda Meir, History, Israel, Leadership, Yale University PressLeave a comment

Let’s talk about an Israeli Prime Minister who is “an accomplished player in the rough-and-tumble world” of Jewish politics. An extremely talented communicator who can excite supporters and who plays on the American public scene like a virtuoso. At the same time, that leader generates strong feelings – positive and negative – among certain groups, particularly at home. This is a head of government whose political survival is threatened by an existential war launched against the country while its defenders are caught off guard.

Reading these lines, the image of Benjamin Netanyahu will certainly come to your mind. That is, if you are interested in current Israeli political history.

Considering the similarities quoted above, one could argue that the current Prime Minister walks in the footsteps of Golda Meir, in whose care the country was entrusted between 1969 and 1974.

I am fully aware that drawing parallels is a road on which one must tread carefully – after all these two leaders belong in two opposite ideological and partisan camps – but I could not avoid mentioning these striking parallels.

The life and career of the fourth Prime Minister of Israel – and only woman to occupy that function – have piqued my curiosity for quite a long time now. Thanks to the expertise and talent of Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt, who currently serves as the U.S State Department’s Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, an excellent opportunity has been granted me through Yale University Press’ excellent Jewish Lives Collection.

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