Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel Hardcover – October 19, 2015

'Killing a King' is simultaneously a fascinating and disspiriting account of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by journalist Dan Ephron. Ephron covered that event as a reporter. Going back years later as a bureau chief, he was struck to the degrees by which Israel has changed. The book is fascinating due to the insight and detail Ephron delivers. Its dual timelines - that of Rabin's juxtaposed with Yigal Amir's - is riveting, even when you know the outcome. It's disspiriting because Amir aimed to change history by "killing its king" and evidence suggests he succeeded.Ephron also artfully explores some other veins. First, the degree to which Amir's circle of friends was complicit. He told pretty much everyone he was contemplating taking Rabin's life. Only a few seemed to take him literally. His brother Hagai was an avid co-conspirator. One acquaintance of an acquaintance filed a report with the internal security services, but the details were semi-fictional and purposely oblique.That leads into another avenue that Ephron reports on: the failing of Israel's internal security apparatus. They were, at the time, tooled specifically to focus on the threats posed by Arab extremism & paid only close heed to rising threat of Jewish extremism which -- in Ephron's recounting -- seems there for the world to see. Coupled with the shocking lapse in security the night of Rabin's murder (his killer Amir is left to loiter untouched and unquestioned at Rabin's car), it paints a devastating portrait of institutional ineptitude.

Transformative knowledge of the peace process. Well written and easy to follow.

an excellent book; great job telling story of radical, orthodox jews efforts to side track last sincere effort to achieve a two state solution & peace in middle east by killing y rabin; bibbi plays an active role here & now he continues his efforts to have a one aparteid state solution which will not result in peace; the radicals on both sides do not want peace & bibbi's govt does its part to prevent that from happening; i am waiting for a US president to really push israel to stop the expansion of settlements & push for peace; the israeli lobby owns almost all of our congress, they are on the take for the money, & no president since j carter has pushed this issue; i would take away the $'s we give them every year, they do not need it & stop supporting them in the UN with our vetos; i use to admire the govt of israel but not for many yrs now that i do not swallow their propaganda like i use to; i admire the jewish culture, but not the radical religious group which runs the country which is no better or worse than the radical islamics & the right wing fundamentalist in this country that try to tell everyone how to live their lives; freedom of religion is great in all countries but that should not give the radicals the right to tell everyone else how to live; i highly recommend this book; a great read

With the current stability/instability paradigm that makes up the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, it's easy to think that it will never be resolved. Yet between 1993 and 1995, there was a brief, shining moment when it seemed that not only would Israel make peace with Palestine, but that it would make peace with all of its Arab neighbors and that it was ultimately inevitable. But three bullets from an assassin's handgun in November 1995 changed all of that. What happened? In this intriguing book, Mr. Ephron weaves two tales: one of the peace process, led by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, that was gaining ground and looked to be on the road to success and a taut thriller about a religious zealot who stalked Rabin for nearly two years intent upon killing him. From start to finish, this book is nerve-wracking and tragic in its consequences. I will say that the assassination came a little earlier than expected, but this book is just as much about the death of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as well as the death of Rabin. And the epilogue includes one last mystery that will keep you turning the pages to the end. For anyone interested in modern Israel, I highly recommend this book.

Read this book and you will see the roots of how today's govt abandoned Rabin's practical peace-making

Fascinating narrative about this period in history I admittedly knew little about. A little slow to get into it (and names of key players confusing sometimes) but once I got about 100 pages in it really was a fast read. I wonder if we can return to a time in Israeli-Palestinian relations where peace seemed just out of reach and actually achieve it this time?Good read for everyone interested in politics of Israel and its neighbors.

This story, beautifully told, has a real relevance for Israel today...and for us in the United States. It recounts a society that so stigmatized the other side that it created the conditions that condoned and encouraged murder. The use of the word "Hellenizers" to describe those seeking accommodation with he Palestinians reminds us of the Jewish coal war that resulted in the invitation to the Romans to come in and eventually extinguish the Jewish state for 2000 years.The invective and hate aimed at President Obama is equally odious and divisive. As The lyric in the song "Wasn't that a time" reminds us: Oh when will they ever learn".

Amazing insight into Israeli politics and the larger Middle East dynamics. I appreciate Dan Ephron's efforts to explain the assassin's side of the story so that we might better understand his motivations for carrying out such a heinous act. I've always wondered about the missed opportunities for a lasting peace in the region because of Rabin's murder but could not imagine how precarious the situation was until I finished reading this book. Policy makers should read this book. Israel supporters should read this book. Palestine supporters should read this book. Anyone that wants to understand the complexity of why peace is so elusive in the region should read this book. You will not be disappointed.

An absorbing page turner as Israeli hero Rabin races against time and his assassin. Outstanding detail about the religious right which spawned the Jewish assassin and the many security lapses and missed opportunities to prevent the calamity. Fantastically written and well paced, Ephron deserves a real 'Mazel Tov' for this outstanding achievement.

Outstanding historical account. We lost one of the heroes of Israel.

Modern history about the murder of the then Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin.