A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion

His article cited a theory that Spinoza’s ideas derived from Buddhism; he was inclined to agree.

“In my opinion, Judaism is a historical experience,”

“There is a historical philosophy that sees war as man’s highest destiny,” he said. He was referring to the Nazis and Arabs. “This philosophy is an abomination to Judaism as we understand it and as it was understood, I believe, by the prophets and sages of the Bible.” At a Cabinet meeting he remarked, “An army is the most dangerous thing there is i

“I fully understand your concern about the Kinneret operation. I must confess that I, too, began to have my doubts about the wisdom of it. But when I read the full text of your brilliant defense of our action in the Security Council, all my doubts were set at rest. You have convinced me that we were right, after all.”

“You chose God for yourselves” (Joshua 24:22),

Jibli recalled that Ben-Gurion loved her traditional Yemenite jahnun, served with a tomato sauce.

He saw Zionism as “the light secreted in the soul” of the Jewish people.

“It is easier to swim in the sea than in a bathtub.”

Both his admirers and his rivals agreed that he was his generation’s most singular man. But, paradoxically, his uniqueness was almost a norm for many members of his generation. As Jews, they were anomalous in their non-Jewish surroundings; as Zionists, they were anomalous among Jews; as Israelis, they were anomalous in their Arab surroundings; as s