Category: Sayeret Matkal

The Netanyahu Rules

On By Marc NadeauIn Benjamin Netanyahu, History, Israel, Leadership, Sayeret Matkal, Simon & Schuster CanadaLeave a comment

For several reasons, I have never really been a big fan of memoirs. As a student of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political vocation, I was nevertheless to dive enthusiastically into his autobiography, whose title is simply Bibi: My Story (Threshold Editions). I was not disappointed, because “Bibi” marshalled all his legendary talent as a communicator to convey the chapters of his life.

I could evoke his conservative philosophy – notably expressed in his revulsion when confronted with the “absurd bureaucracy” preventing the Prime Minister’s Office from getting a new Nespresso coffee machine for six months – his numerous dealings with world leaders from Ronald Reagan to Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump or even the Herculean task of overcoming his detractors and would-be political assassins. I could also mention his admirable historical knowledge and his significant affinity with the Bible and its landscape. Or the care he took to maintain a deep and lasting relationship with the Likud members – an essential ingredient in his political longevity. Maybe I should also have taken the time to explore the influence of Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s “Theory of Public Pressure” on his career. However, the focus of this review is to extract the main lessons – we could call them rules – from his absorbing journey.

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Sayeret Matkal on the frontlines

On By Marc NadeauIn Aviram Halevi, Avner Shur, Benjamin Netanyahu, Commandos, Ehud Barak, Entebbe, Israel, Military, Moshe “Boogie” Ya’alon, Naftali Bennett, SAS, Sayeret Matkal, Skyhorse Publishing, Special ForcesLeave a comment

July 4th marked the 47th anniversary of the Entebbe operation, during which Israeli commandos rescued passengers held hostages by Palestinian terrorists and Ugandan soldiers after the hijacking of an Air France plane in Athens. Israel lost one soldier during the operation, Yoni Netanyahu, brother of the current Prime Minister of Israel. The audacious soldiers who appeared in the skies of Entebbe in the middle of the night belonged to Sayeret Matkal – Israel’s Defense Force’s General Staff Reconnaissance Unit. The unit was founded in 1957 by Avraham Arnan and was directly inspired by the iconic SAS (Special Air Service) warriors who served under the Union Jack during World War II.

I was too young to remember what happened at Entebbe. But another operation has captivated me since I was a teenager. I vividly remember hearing on the radio the news of Abu Jihad’s neutralization in April 1988 in Tunis. From memory, Israel was announced as having ordered this operation and I wondered how these intrepid operatives could perform their art so far away from the shores of their homeland.

I was therefore thrilled to read Sayeret Matkal: The Greatest Operations of Israel’s Elite Commandos (Skyhorse Publishing) by Avner Shur and Aviram Halevi, whose first chapter invites the reader to walk with the Israeli commandos to accomplish Operation Show of Force under the leadership of commander Moshe “Boogie” Ya’alon.

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Benjamin Netanyahu: Survivor

On By Marc NadeauIn 007, Anshel Pfeffer, Israel, Israel Defense Force (IDF), James Bond, Sayeret Matkal, Special Forces, Unit 269Leave a comment
Sergeant Benjamin Netanyahu, member of the Sayeret Matkal Unit of the IDF (source: The Times of Israel).

Israel went to the polls for a fourth time since 2019 yesterday. If the past is prologue, everything indicates that Benjamin Netanyahu will form another government in the coming weeks. Holding 59 seats with his right-wing allies (at the time of this writing), the leader of the Likud still holds the best cards in his hands to remain in power.

But how is it that, besieged with scandals, trials and the turmoil of political life in the heart of one of the most intense political arena in the world, the longest serving Prime Minister of Israel can still successfully navigate these tumultuous waters?

This might sound cliché, but the key to understand Netanyahu’s political longevity is to reach in the confines of his personality. So far, the best biography I have read about Bibi (the PM’s nickname) is the one written by Anshel Pfeffer, which I reviewed 2 years ago on this blog. I do not intend to repeat the argument I brought forward then (those who are interested can read it here), but there is one essential aspect which I did not refer to back then.

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