An eye-opening revelation of Israel’s historyIsraeli author Uzi Eilam is a Technion graduate in mechanical engineering and Operations Research。 He completed his studies in business administration and systems analysis at Stanford University， California。 His military career in Israel is legendary and lauded for his performance with paratroopers in the Israel Defense Force in the Gaza Operation and the 1967 Six Day War when Eilam fought as a paratrooper battalion commander in Jerusalem and was amon An eye-opening revelation of Israel’s historyIsraeli author Uzi Eilam is a Technion graduate in mechanical engineering and Operations Research。 He completed his studies in business administration and systems analysis at Stanford University， California。 His military career in Israel is legendary and lauded for his performance with paratroopers in the Israel Defense Force in the Gaza Operation and the 1967 Six Day War when Eilam fought as a paratrooper battalion commander in Jerusalem and was among the first to enter the Old City and reach the Western Wall with his soldiers。 Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin appointed General Eilam Director General of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission， where he served for ten years。 In his next position General Eilam served for twelve years as head of the Defense， Research， and Development Authority of the Ministry of Defense and its Chief Scientist。 In 2002 he was awarded the Israel Defense Prize for Lifetime Achievement。 Now retired， he has turned his attention to writing books with espionage and global terrorism themes。 He now adds real history in this new book – NIGHT RAIDERS。Having read his excellent novels， this reader found NIGHT RAIDERS’ fascinating revelation of Israel’s conflicts even more involving than his fiction。 Keep in mind that this book is more than just reportage: the impact of Eilam’s participation as a paratrooper makes this account more credible。 Couple that fact with his gifts as a practiced novelist and the impact of this book is obvious。In his Preface， Eilam states， ‘The Israel Defense Forces has an international reputation for both daring and competence。 How were those qualities developed and institutionalized？ You might assume that they were the natural outgrowth of the struggle for survival against overwhelming odds experienced in Israel’s War of Independence 1947-1949。 In fact， this is not the case。 Audacious proficiency did not start to develop for several years， and sprang out of the unique qualities of a small group of officers and men。 In this book， I will introduce you to them and demonstrate their far-reaching influence。’ Eilam’s mission is accomplished in this excellent book。The provided synopsis outlines Eilam’s points: In the years following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948， its Jewish citizens suffered from perpetual terror acts courtesy of their Arab neighbors， who infiltrated its borders with the purpose of destroying property and even taking lives。 At first， Israel employed a passive strategy， guarding its borders， observing its enemy， placing ambushes on their path， and holding political discussions about ceasefires。 But the attacks did not cease， on the contrary， they multiplied， and the IDF was forced to take an active approach。 This is the fascinating story of the fighters and commanders of Paratrooper Unit 101 of the 890th Battalion， and of 202nd Brigade。 The heroic reprisal operations which they carried out over the border between 1953 and 1956 allowed the IDF to give Israel’s citizens relative peace’A unique book， written by a man who has been there at every step of growth， this is one impressive book from which we all can learn。 。。。more