Israel Alone

Weaving in fifty years of experience with Israel, Bernard-Henri Lvy analyzes global responses to October 7, the new virulent waves of the oldest hatred in the world: anti-Semitism, why Israel is waging this existential war against barbarism alone, and whats at stake for Israel and the world. Bernard-Henri Lvys Israel Alone is a passionate and outraged cri-de-coeur, about the loneliness of Israel and the tragedy of October 7, starting with Lvys eyewitness account the day after the pogroms. On October 8, 2023, Bernard-Henri Lvy flew to Israel to bear witness to the unprecedented invasion and massacre committed by Hamas. Israel Alone begins here and weaves in Lvys fifty years on the ground in Israel, from his first trip in 1967, his experiences writing on all the conflicts since, and his participation in various peace plans and contacts with all the Israeli leaders from Menachem Begin to Shimon Peres and from Ariel Sharon to Yitzak Shamir and Yitzak Rabin. From his unique philosophical and humanist perspective, Lvy analyzes the ultimate evil unleashed on Israel on October 7 and delves into how the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, radical Islamist groups, Turkey, and China have played roles and profited from this tragedy. The book addresses how October 7, though historic in scope, became, within weeks, a detail in the global consciousness amid a worldwide eruption of anti-Semitism, cloaked in anti-Zionism. Lvy deconstructs the arguments of those calling for a cease-fire now without the release of all hostages and of those who demand that October 7 be seen within a greater context. Lvys meditation on the soul of Zionism and Israel shows why this war is existential, not only for Israel but for the global West. And yet, despite the urgency and critical nature of this war, Israel takes it on alone. Lvy analyzes, today, why this is so and why Israels solitude is greater than ever.