Rise and Kill First

The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations

By: Ronen Bergman

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

New York Times best seller. The first definitive history of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the IDF’s targeted killing programs, hailed by The New York Times as "an exceptional work, a humane book about an incendiary subject."

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award in History.

Named one of the 10 best books of the year by Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times.

Named one of the best books of the year by The Economist, The New York Times Book Review, BBC History Magazine, Mother Jones, and Kirkus Reviews

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.

In this pause-resisting, eye-opening audiobook, journalist and military analyst Ronen Bergman - praised by David Remnick as "arguably [Israel's] best investigative reporter" - offers a riveting inside account of the targeted killing programs: their successes, their failures, and the moral and political price exacted on the men and women who approved and carried out the missions.

Bergman has gained the exceedingly rare cooperation of many current and former members of the Israeli government, including Prime Ministers Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as high-level figures in the country's military and intelligence services: the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), the Mossad (the world's most feared intelligence agency), Caesarea (a "Mossad within the Mossad" that carries out attacks on the highest-value targets), and the Shin Bet (an internal security service that implemented the largest targeted assassination campaign ever, in order to stop what had once appeared to be unstoppable: suicide terrorism).

Including never-before-reported, behind-the-curtain accounts of key operations, and based on hundreds of on-the-record interviews and thousands of files to which Bergman has gotten exclusive access over his decades of reporting, Rise and Kill First brings us deep into the heart of Israel’s most secret activities. Bergman traces, from statehood to the present, the gripping events and thorny ethical questions underlying Israel’s targeted killing campaign, which has shaped the Israeli nation, the Middle East, and the entire world.

©2018 Ronen Bergman (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Ronen Bergman has set out in incontestable detail the history and scale of Israel’s use of extrajudicial killing as an instrument of defense and foreign policy. His material is stark and sensational, but he steers a steady course through it, even pausing along the way to debate the effectiveness and morality of his subject. The result is a compelling read whatever your point of view.” (John le Carré)

“This remarkable account of Israel’s targeted-killing programs is the product of nearly eight years of research into what is arguably the most secretive and impenetrable intelligence community in the world. Bergman, an investigative reporter and military analyst, interviewed hundreds of insiders, including assassins, and obtained thousands of classified documents.” (The New Yorker)

“America’s difficult relationship with targeted killing and the dilemmas we may face in the future are beautifully illuminated by the longer story of Israel’s experiences with assassination in its own endless war against terrorism.... Americans now have a terrific new introduction to that story with publication of Ronen Bergman’s Rise and Kill First.... It moves at a torrid pace and tells stories that would make Jason Bourne sit up and say ‘Wow!’ It is smart, thoughtful and balanced, and the English translation is superb. It deserves all of the plaudits it has already received.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Blending history and investigative reporting, Bergman never loses sight of the ethical questions that arise when a state, founded as a refuge for a stateless people who were targets of a genocide, decides it needs to kill in order to survive.... This book is full of shocking moments, surprising disturbances in a narrative full of fateful twists and unintended consequences.” (The New York Times)

Like espionage and state sanctioned killings?

Then this is the book for you! I loved it! Perfect narration, great story, tons of secrets.

Great book; Great insight

Amazing real story of how Israel operates in order to survive. Not sure why they would allow these secrets to be public!

Details the back story to Israel's wars

Fascinating! Incredible cloak and dagger stories only hinted at in the news. Very revealing about the motives and methods of Israel and the Arab countries.

within its scope

solid narration, clear. the content is informative as is the conclusion which is tactics have led strategy in Mosad.

Breathtaking and well researched!

This book will change the way you think about diplomacy and war. All angles are explored and many characters are developed in this well written story. A must read for anybody interested in national security, intelligence, or history of Israel and the greater Middle East!

Good addition to anyone interested in Israel

It was a great book, very informational and insightful into how, and more importantly why Israel does what it does. I just finished reading "The Prime Ministers" and this was a good addition to it. This book focuses on the military side of Israel, specifically the tough situations Israel finds itself in time and time again. It really helps you understand the political and military situation the Middle East now finds itself in.

a must-read for all Worldwide Jewelry & Israelis

this book explains why Israel believes Germans should give up jewish homes confiscated by the Nazis when Israel will not return Palestinian homes in Greater Israel. This book is brilliant in explaining how Israel justfies murdering 3000 enemies of the state per year (no democracy murders more).

This has been the best book I have ever read that explains the roots of the Israeli intelligence forces, and how Israelis will never be free until their Palestinian cousins are also free.

The most extensive account of Israeli Intelligence

Ronen Bergman offers an unprecedented level of access to the history of the Israeli Intelligence services operations. Based on a variety of sources, this book examines the aspect of covert (and non-covert) asassinations, and uses it to uncover the strategic mindset of the country's leaders in crucial decision points. Never anyone mouthpiece, Bergman outlines a critical and fair analysis of the successes, failures, and moral dilemmas on the application of targeted killings, which spans from before Israel's establishment and until present day.

fantastic story

a Hollywood script could not be any better...if you need action and intrigue, have an interest in the shadowy world of espionage and covert action, this is a must read.

great book

this book is a must for anyone that wants to know the history of special ops in Israel. it covers the subject very well. I could not take it down.