Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations

* AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR * THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *
Shortlisted for the Airey Neave Memorial Book Prize
Winner of 2018 National Jewish Book Award
The first definitive history of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the IDF's targeted killing programs.
The Talmud says: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first." This instinct to take every measure, even the most aggressive, to defend the Jewish people is hardwired into Israel's DNA. From the very beginning of its statehood in 1948, protecting the nation from harm has been the responsibility of its intelligence community and armed services, and there is one weapon in their vast arsenal that they have relied upon to thwart the most serious threats: Targeted assassinations have been used countless times, on enemies large and small, sometimes in response to attacks against the Israeli people and sometimes preemptively.