Murder in the Name of God: Plot to Kill Yitzhak Rabin Book

What was truly terrifying about the assassination of Yitzak Rabin was its inevitability. Religious groups in Israel had developed an elaborate theology of murder whereby it became first legitimate to kill any gentile who threatened Jews, and then any Jew who acted against the interest of Jews and Judaism--and since the same religious groups believe that the State of Israel should include everything promised to Abraham, any thought of giving land back to Palestinians, indeed being remiss in any way in further occupations and conquests, is grounds for murder. No serious Israeli politician believes that this programme is remotely feasible or desirable--all of them have at one time or another cosied up to the religious parties for the sake of their votes. And the Secret Service long ago crossed the line between observing and sponsoring agents provocateurs--to the extent of effectively sponsoring right-wing terrorism. Karpin and Friedman's excellent account is sceptical about actual conspiracies, but describes a culture of paranoia and fanaticism in which no specific conspiracy is necessary. They demonstrate clearly that Rabin's death was the logical consequence of a religious culture in which the devout put into effect the wilder results of fundamentalist teachers--this is a terrifying book about the consequences of bad ideas. --Roz KaveneyRead More