As an immigrant child from Iran, all I wanted was to be a Sabra. What could be more Israeli than commanding the Israel Defense Force? Shahram Mofazaz-k?r was born in Tehran, experienced the hardships of absorption in Israel (where his name was Hebraized to Shaul Mofaz), and was sent far from home to an agricultural boarding school. In the IDF, his prospects seemed low when he was repeatedly rejected from officer training.
Against all odds, Mofaz ascended to the highest position in the IDF, where he faced great challenges during a most complex and painful time. He oversaw the withdrawal from Lebanon after eighteen years, the Intifada with daily suicide bombers and multiple casualties, the return of security with Operation Defensive Shield, and the 2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
In this sober and captivating memoir, Shaul Mofaz takes us behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic events in Israel’s history. This English edition, published a year into the Swords of Iron War (the October 7 War), offers a brutally candid analysis of Israel’s challenges and shortcomings and offers recommendations for triumph and a hopeful future.