
Eighteen Days in October
The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jonathan Todd Ross
-
By:
-
Uri Kaufman
About this listen
October 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, a conflict that shaped the modern Middle East. The War was a trauma for Israel, a dangerous superpower showdown, and, following the oil embargo, a pivotal reordering of the global economic order. The Jewish State came shockingly close to defeat. A panicky cabinet meeting debated the use of nuclear weapons. After the war, Prime Minister Golda Meir resigned in disgrace, and a 9/11-style commission investigated the "debacle."
But, argues Uri Kaufman, from the perspective of a half century, the War can be seen as a pivotal victory for Israel. After nearly being routed, the Israeli Defense Force clawed its way back to threaten Cairo and Damascus. In the war's aftermath both sides had to accept unwelcome truths: Israel could no longer take military superiority for granted—but the Arabs could no longer hope to wipe Israel off the map. A straight line leads from the battlefields of 1973 to the Camp David Accords of 1978 and all the treaties since. Like Michael Oren's Six Days of War, this is the definitive account of a critical moment in history.
©2023 Uri Kaufman (P)2023 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Six Days of War
- June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- By: Michael B. Oren
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
-
-
Great overview of Middle East troubles
- By Patrick Marstall on 07-23-06
By: Michael B. Oren
-
Enemies and Neighbors
- Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017
- By: Ian Black
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Enemies and Neighbors, Ian Black, who has spent over three decades covering events in the Middle East and is currently a fellow at the London School of Economics, offers a major new history of the Arab-Zionist conflict from 1917 to today. Laying the historical groundwork in the final decades of the Ottoman Era, when the first Zionist settlers arrived in the Holy Land, Black draws on a wide range of sources - from declassified documents to oral histories to his own vivid on-the-ground reporting - to recreate the major milestones in the most polarizing conflict of the modern age from both sides.
-
-
Decent historical compilation, poor framing
- By Dan Harris on 07-08-20
By: Ian Black
-
The Lion's Gate
- On the Front Lines of the Six Day War
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 5, 1967: The fearsome, Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army and its 1000 tanks are massed on Israel's southern border. Meanwhile, the Syrian Army is shelling the much smaller nation from the north. And to the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt's President Nasser has declared that the Arab world's goal is no less than "the destruction of Israel."
-
-
As close to being there as you can get
- By Andy from FL on 07-13-14
-
The Prime Ministers
- An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership
- By: Yehuda Avner
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Prime Ministers is the first and only insider account of Israeli politics from the founding of the Jewish State to the near-present day. It reveals stunning details of life-and-death decision-making, top-secret military operations and high level peace negotiations. The Prime Ministers brings listeners into the orbits of world figures, including Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
-
-
Great and fascinating book, wrong narrator.
- By Eli on 10-06-13
By: Yehuda Avner
-
Mossad
- The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service
- By: Michael Bar-Zohar, Nissim Mishal
- Narrated by: Benjamin Isaac
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mossad, authors MichaelBar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal take us behind the closed curtain with riveting, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground accounts of the most dangerous, most crucial missions in the agency's 60-year history.
-
-
maybe with a different reader.
- By Andrew on 04-30-16
By: Michael Bar-Zohar, and others
-
Israel
- A Concise History of a Nation Reborn
- By: Daniel Gordis
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world's attention, aroused its imagination, and, lately, been the object of its opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns? More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies in its future? We cannot answer these questions until we understand Israel's people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes and desires, that have animated their conversations and actions.
-
-
Excellent, mildly but honestly biased, terrible narration
- By Schaq on 04-01-17
By: Daniel Gordis
-
Six Days of War
- June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- By: Michael B. Oren
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
-
-
Great overview of Middle East troubles
- By Patrick Marstall on 07-23-06
By: Michael B. Oren
-
Enemies and Neighbors
- Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017
- By: Ian Black
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Enemies and Neighbors, Ian Black, who has spent over three decades covering events in the Middle East and is currently a fellow at the London School of Economics, offers a major new history of the Arab-Zionist conflict from 1917 to today. Laying the historical groundwork in the final decades of the Ottoman Era, when the first Zionist settlers arrived in the Holy Land, Black draws on a wide range of sources - from declassified documents to oral histories to his own vivid on-the-ground reporting - to recreate the major milestones in the most polarizing conflict of the modern age from both sides.
-
-
Decent historical compilation, poor framing
- By Dan Harris on 07-08-20
By: Ian Black
-
The Lion's Gate
- On the Front Lines of the Six Day War
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 5, 1967: The fearsome, Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army and its 1000 tanks are massed on Israel's southern border. Meanwhile, the Syrian Army is shelling the much smaller nation from the north. And to the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt's President Nasser has declared that the Arab world's goal is no less than "the destruction of Israel."
-
-
As close to being there as you can get
- By Andy from FL on 07-13-14
-
The Prime Ministers
- An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership
- By: Yehuda Avner
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Prime Ministers is the first and only insider account of Israeli politics from the founding of the Jewish State to the near-present day. It reveals stunning details of life-and-death decision-making, top-secret military operations and high level peace negotiations. The Prime Ministers brings listeners into the orbits of world figures, including Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
-
-
Great and fascinating book, wrong narrator.
- By Eli on 10-06-13
By: Yehuda Avner
-
Mossad
- The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service
- By: Michael Bar-Zohar, Nissim Mishal
- Narrated by: Benjamin Isaac
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mossad, authors MichaelBar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal take us behind the closed curtain with riveting, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground accounts of the most dangerous, most crucial missions in the agency's 60-year history.
-
-
maybe with a different reader.
- By Andrew on 04-30-16
By: Michael Bar-Zohar, and others
-
Israel
- A Concise History of a Nation Reborn
- By: Daniel Gordis
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world's attention, aroused its imagination, and, lately, been the object of its opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns? More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies in its future? We cannot answer these questions until we understand Israel's people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes and desires, that have animated their conversations and actions.
-
-
Excellent, mildly but honestly biased, terrible narration
- By Schaq on 04-01-17
By: Daniel Gordis
-
The Arc of a Covenant
- The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People
- By: Walter Russell Mead
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 26 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this bold examination of the Israeli-American relationship, Walter Russell Mead demolishes the myths that both pro-Zionists and anti-Zionists have fostered over the years. He makes clear that Zionism has always been a divisive subject in the American Jewish community, and that American Christians have often been the most fervent supporters of a Jewish state, citing examples from the time of J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller to the present day.
-
-
Concise Accurate Information
- By Peakbagger on 03-27-25
-
Rise and Kill First
- The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations
- By: Ronen Bergman
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Talmud says: “If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.” This instinct to take every measure, even the most aggressive, to defend the Jewish people is hardwired into Israel’s DNA. From the very beginning of its statehood in 1948, protecting the nation from harm has been the responsibility of its intelligence community and armed services, and there is one weapon in their vast arsenal that they have relied upon to thwart the most serious threats: Targeted assassinations have been used countless times, on enemies large and small....
-
-
Eye Opening
- By Ari Safari on 02-09-18
By: Ronen Bergman
-
Israel
- A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth
- By: Noa Tishby
- Narrated by: Noa Tishby
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Israel. The small strip of arid land is 5,700 miles away but remains a hot-button issue and a thorny topic of debate. But while everyone seems to have a strong opinion about Israel, how many people actually know the facts? Here to fill in the information gap is Israeli American Noa Tishby.
-
-
I hope this book will help
- By Wayne on 05-08-21
By: Noa Tishby
-
The Genius of Israel
- The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World
- By: Dan Senor, Saul Singer
- Narrated by: Dan Senor
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why do Israelis have among the world’s highest life expectancies and lowest rates of “deaths of despair” from suicide and substance abuse? Why is Israel’s population young and growing while all other wealthy democracies are aging and shrinking? How can it be that Israel, according to a United Nations ranking, is the fourth happiest nation in the world? Why do Israelis tend to look to the future with hope, optimism, and purpose while the rest of the West struggles with an epidemic of loneliness, teen depression, and social decline?
-
-
The richness of the Israeli culture and the brilliance of the IDF.
- By Jandee Camozzi on 12-06-23
By: Dan Senor, and others
-
Vietnam
- An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975
- By: Max Hastings
- Narrated by: Max Hastings, Peter Noble
- Length: 33 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vietnam became the Western world’s most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for France in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the US in 1975. Max Hastings has spent the past three years interviewing scores of participants on both sides, as well as researching a multitude of American and Vietnamese documents and memoirs, to create an epic narrative of an epic struggle. Here are the vivid realities of strife amid jungle and paddies that killed two million people.
-
-
A more nuanced view than Ken Burns' companion book
- By Vu on 10-21-18
By: Max Hastings
-
A Peace to End All Peace
- The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East
- By: David Fromkin
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Middle East has long been a region of rival religions, ideologies, nationalisms, and ambitions. All of these conflicts are rooted in the region's political inheritance: the arrangements, unities, and divisions imposed by the Allies after the First World War. Author David Fromkin reveals how and why the Allies drew lines on an empty map that remade the geography and politics of the Middle East. Focusing on the formative years of 1914 to 1922, when all seemed possible, he delivers in this sweeping and magisterial book the definitive account of this defining time.
-
-
Still A Great Book On The Topic
- By Nostromo on 02-03-19
By: David Fromkin
-
Conflict
- The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine
- By: David Petraeus, Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: David Petraeus, Robert Fass
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two leading authorities—an acclaimed historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time—collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945. Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past—and anticipate in the future—in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.
-
-
The Story of My Life
- By Nice guy on 03-06-24
By: David Petraeus, and others
-
Impossible Takes Longer
- 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders’ Dreams?
- By: Daniel Gordis
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1948, Israel’s founders sought a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. The state they ultimately made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.
-
-
Leftist agenda all over the place
- By AlexS on 12-11-23
By: Daniel Gordis
-
Pax
- War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Tom Holland
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Pax Romana has long been shorthand for the empire’s golden age. Stretching from Caledonia to Arabia, Rome ruled over a quarter of the world’s population. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state in the history of humankind. Pax is a captivating narrative history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland shows ancient Rome in all its glory
-
-
Great book!
- By Mic on 09-27-23
By: Tom Holland
-
Target Tehran
- How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination – and Secret Diplomacy – to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East
- By: Yonah Jeremy Bob, Ilan Evyatar
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Yonah Bob and Ilan Evyatar describe how Israel has used cyberwarfare, targeted assassinations, and sabotage of Iranian facilities to great effect, sometimes in cooperation with the United States. Even as it takes lethal action, Israel has managed to alter the politics of the Middle East, culminating in the Abraham Accords of 2020. Arab states such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel, and the holy grail of normalization with Saudi Arabia may yet be achieved.
-
-
Couldn’t walk away !
- By ADAM on 01-10-24
By: Yonah Jeremy Bob, and others
-
Rome and Persia
- The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Roman empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale. Its only true rival lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. Tracing seven centuries of conflict between Rome and Persia, historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows how these two great powers evolved together
-
-
MAPS NEEDED
- By David on 12-29-23
-
Israel and Palestine, 2019 Edition
- The Complete History
- By: Ian Carroll
- Narrated by: Alastair Cameron
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Israel and Palestine: The Complete History seeks to explain the overall story of Israeli and Palestinian tensions and divisions in the region. Indeed, without properly understanding the full history of the area, it is impossible to understand the current situation. In this book, author Ian Carroll takes the listener back to the very beginning of the conflict some 4,000 years ago, then moves through the major events of the Middle Ages and 20th century, and brings us right up to the present day, documenting the significant events that have happened along the way.
-
-
One sides, telling half of the truth
- By Ori on 05-27-21
By: Ian Carroll
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Six Days of War
- June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- By: Michael B. Oren
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
-
-
Great overview of Middle East troubles
- By Patrick Marstall on 07-23-06
By: Michael B. Oren
-
The Lion's Gate
- On the Front Lines of the Six Day War
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 5, 1967: The fearsome, Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army and its 1000 tanks are massed on Israel's southern border. Meanwhile, the Syrian Army is shelling the much smaller nation from the north. And to the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt's President Nasser has declared that the Arab world's goal is no less than "the destruction of Israel."
-
-
As close to being there as you can get
- By Andy from FL on 07-13-14
-
Palestine 1936
- The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict
- By: Oren Kessler
- Narrated by: Shawn K. Jain
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In spring 1936, the Holy Land erupted in a rebellion that targeted both the local Jewish community and the British Mandate authorities. The Great Arab Revolt would last three years, cost thousands of lives, and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict. The revolt was the crucible in which Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting all in a single struggle for independence. Yet the rebellion would ultimately turn on itself. British forces' aggressive counterinsurgency took care of the rest, finally quashing the uprising on the eve of World War II.
-
-
Who is this narrator?
- By Rachel S. on 09-23-24
By: Oren Kessler
-
Spies of No Country
- Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel
- By: Matti Friedman
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The four spies at the center of this story were part of a ragtag unit known as the Arab Section, conceived during World War II by British spies and Jewish militia leaders in Palestine. Intended to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage and assassinations, the unit consisted of Jews who were native to the Arab world and could thus easily assume Arab identities. In 1948, with Israel's existence in the balance during the War of Independence, our spies went undercover in Beirut, where they spent the next two years operating out of a kiosk....
-
-
Absolutely brilliant
- By David Mane on 06-23-19
By: Matti Friedman
-
Striking Back
- The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and Israel's Deadly Response
- By: Aaron J. Klein
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1972. The Munich Olympics. Palestinian members of the Black September group murder 11 Israeli athletes. Nine hundred million people watch the crisis unfold on television, witnessing a tragedy that inaugurates the modern age of terror.
-
-
Very, very good book. When researched.
- By Roadrunner At Large on 01-26-06
By: Aaron J. Klein
-
The Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War: The History of the Military Conflicts that Established Israel as a Superpower in the Middle East
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite losing the 1948 War, Arab nations throughout the Middle East had still refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist. After the Suez Crisis, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser envisioned creating a unified Arab world, commonly referred to as pan-Arabism. Nasser was the consummate pan-Arab leader in the 1960s, positioning himself as the leader of the Arab world through increasing incitement against Israel with rhetoric. Israel found itself in possession of more land after 1948 than envisioned by the U.N. Partition Plan.
-
-
“Just the facts” please
- By Laura Palazzo on 01-30-22
-
Six Days of War
- June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- By: Michael B. Oren
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.
-
-
Great overview of Middle East troubles
- By Patrick Marstall on 07-23-06
By: Michael B. Oren
-
The Lion's Gate
- On the Front Lines of the Six Day War
- By: Steven Pressfield
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 5, 1967: The fearsome, Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army and its 1000 tanks are massed on Israel's southern border. Meanwhile, the Syrian Army is shelling the much smaller nation from the north. And to the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Egypt's President Nasser has declared that the Arab world's goal is no less than "the destruction of Israel."
-
-
As close to being there as you can get
- By Andy from FL on 07-13-14
-
Palestine 1936
- The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict
- By: Oren Kessler
- Narrated by: Shawn K. Jain
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In spring 1936, the Holy Land erupted in a rebellion that targeted both the local Jewish community and the British Mandate authorities. The Great Arab Revolt would last three years, cost thousands of lives, and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict. The revolt was the crucible in which Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting all in a single struggle for independence. Yet the rebellion would ultimately turn on itself. British forces' aggressive counterinsurgency took care of the rest, finally quashing the uprising on the eve of World War II.
-
-
Who is this narrator?
- By Rachel S. on 09-23-24
By: Oren Kessler
-
Spies of No Country
- Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel
- By: Matti Friedman
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The four spies at the center of this story were part of a ragtag unit known as the Arab Section, conceived during World War II by British spies and Jewish militia leaders in Palestine. Intended to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage and assassinations, the unit consisted of Jews who were native to the Arab world and could thus easily assume Arab identities. In 1948, with Israel's existence in the balance during the War of Independence, our spies went undercover in Beirut, where they spent the next two years operating out of a kiosk....
-
-
Absolutely brilliant
- By David Mane on 06-23-19
By: Matti Friedman
-
Striking Back
- The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and Israel's Deadly Response
- By: Aaron J. Klein
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1972. The Munich Olympics. Palestinian members of the Black September group murder 11 Israeli athletes. Nine hundred million people watch the crisis unfold on television, witnessing a tragedy that inaugurates the modern age of terror.
-
-
Very, very good book. When researched.
- By Roadrunner At Large on 01-26-06
By: Aaron J. Klein
-
The Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War: The History of the Military Conflicts that Established Israel as a Superpower in the Middle East
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Ken Teutsch
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite losing the 1948 War, Arab nations throughout the Middle East had still refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist. After the Suez Crisis, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser envisioned creating a unified Arab world, commonly referred to as pan-Arabism. Nasser was the consummate pan-Arab leader in the 1960s, positioning himself as the leader of the Arab world through increasing incitement against Israel with rhetoric. Israel found itself in possession of more land after 1948 than envisioned by the U.N. Partition Plan.
-
-
“Just the facts” please
- By Laura Palazzo on 01-30-22
-
Yom Kippur War: A History from Beginning to End
- Palestine Israeli Conflict
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Matthew J. Chandler-Smith
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1973, Israel would face the greatest challenge to its very existence. Egypt and Syria launched massive simultaneous invasions intended to recapture territory occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War. Israel was taken completely by surprise by this attack, launched on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur. Israeli intelligence, which had proved so effective in previous conflicts, failed to provide any warning, and the armed forces of Israel were completely unprepared to face this onslaught on two fronts. This is the story of the Yom Kippur War.
By: Hourly History
-
The Six-Day War
- The Breaking of the Middle East
- By: Guy Laron
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One fateful week in June 1967 redrew the map of the Middle East. Many scholars have documented how the Six-Day War unfolded, but little has been done to explain why the conflict happened at all. As we approach its 50th anniversary, Guy Laron refutes the widely accepted belief that the war was merely the result of regional friction, revealing the crucial roles played by American and Soviet policies in the face of an encroaching global economic crisis and restoring Syria's often overlooked centrality to events leading up to the hostilities.
-
-
Laron isn't near as impartial as he thinks he is.
- By Elijah Rose on 11-27-17
By: Guy Laron
-
My Promised Land
- The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel
- By: Ari Shavit
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An authoritative and deeply personal narrative history of the State of Israel, by one of the most influential journalists writing about the Middle East today. Not since Thomas L. Friedman's groundbreaking From Beirut to Jerusalem has a book captured the essence and the beating heart of the Middle East as keenly and dynamically as My Promised Land.
-
-
Great book, but why the accent?
- By Stuart M. Wilder on 12-01-13
By: Ari Shavit
-
Target Tehran
- How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination – and Secret Diplomacy – to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East
- By: Yonah Jeremy Bob, Ilan Evyatar
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Yonah Bob and Ilan Evyatar describe how Israel has used cyberwarfare, targeted assassinations, and sabotage of Iranian facilities to great effect, sometimes in cooperation with the United States. Even as it takes lethal action, Israel has managed to alter the politics of the Middle East, culminating in the Abraham Accords of 2020. Arab states such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel, and the holy grail of normalization with Saudi Arabia may yet be achieved.
-
-
Couldn’t walk away !
- By ADAM on 01-10-24
By: Yonah Jeremy Bob, and others
-
Death of the Wehrmacht
- The German Campaigns of 1942
- By: Robert M. Citino
- Narrated by: Tom Beyer
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the overwhelming operational victories at Kerch and Kharkov in May to the catastrophic defeats at El Alamein and Stalingrad, Death of the Wehrmacht offers an eye-opening new view of that decisive year. Building upon his widely respected critique in The German Way of War, Citino shows how the campaigns of 1942 fit within the centuries-old patterns of Prussian/German warmaking and ultimately doomed Hitler's expansionist ambitions.
-
-
Lucidity!
- By Anonymous User on 08-02-24
By: Robert M. Citino
-
Mossad
- The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service
- By: Michael Bar-Zohar, Nissim Mishal
- Narrated by: Benjamin Isaac
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mossad, authors MichaelBar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal take us behind the closed curtain with riveting, eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground accounts of the most dangerous, most crucial missions in the agency's 60-year history.
-
-
maybe with a different reader.
- By Andrew on 04-30-16
By: Michael Bar-Zohar, and others
-
The Price of Glory
- Verdun 1916
- By: Alistair Horne
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The battle of Verdun lasted ten months. It was a battle in which at least 700,000 men fell, along a front of fifteen miles. Its aim was less to defeat the enemy than bleed him to death and a battleground whose once fertile terrain is even now a haunted wilderness. Alistair Horne's classic work, continuously in print for over fifty years, is a profoundly moving, sympathetic study of the battle and the men who fought there. It shows that Verdun is a key to understanding the First World War.
-
-
Epic Account, Masterful in Its Scope, Power and Resonance
- By Ted Shealy on 05-01-24
By: Alistair Horne
-
The Air War Through German Eyes
- How the Luftwaffe Lost the Skies over the Reich
- By: Jonathan Trigg
- Narrated by: Kris Dyer
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written from the "other side" and told as much as possible through the words of the veterans, this is an important book on one of the most controversial campaigns of the Second World War.
-
-
Somewhat interesting but repetitive & misses stuff
- By B Taub on 08-24-24
By: Jonathan Trigg
-
Israel Alone
- By: Bernard-Henri Levy
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving in fifty years of experience with Israel, Bernard-Henri Lévy 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 what’s at stake for Israel and the world.
-
Rise and Kill First
- The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations
- By: Ronen Bergman
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Talmud says: “If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.” This instinct to take every measure, even the most aggressive, to defend the Jewish people is hardwired into Israel’s DNA. From the very beginning of its statehood in 1948, protecting the nation from harm has been the responsibility of its intelligence community and armed services, and there is one weapon in their vast arsenal that they have relied upon to thwart the most serious threats: Targeted assassinations have been used countless times, on enemies large and small....
-
-
Eye Opening
- By Ari Safari on 02-09-18
By: Ronen Bergman
-
Castles of Steel
- Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea
- By: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 40 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The predominant image of this first world war is of mud and trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, poison gas, and slaughter. A generation of European manhood was massacred, and a wound was inflicted on European civilization that required the remainder of the twentieth century to heal.
-
-
Stick With It!
- By Matt on 09-22-12
By: Robert K. Massie
-
Like Dreamers
- The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation
- By: Yossi Klein Halevi
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 23 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Like Dreamers, acclaimed journalist Yossi Klein Halevi interweaves the stories of a group of 1967 paratroopers who reunited Jerusalem, tracing the history of Israel and the divergent ideologies shaping it from the Six-Day War to the present. Following the lives of seven young members from the 55th Paratroopers Reserve Brigade, the unit responsible for restoring Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem, Halevi reveals how this band of brothers played pivotal roles in shaping Israel's destiny long after their historic victory.
-
-
A Clearer Understanding of the Israel
- By deborah on 06-07-14
What listeners say about Eighteen Days in October
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alex Troy
- 11-12-23
gripping history
M. Kaufman has written a concise and gripping account of a complex two-front war and of the diplomacy that ended it. He has done the invaluable service of challenging the conventional understanding of the war. I came to the book believing that Israel had suffered a moral, if not martial defeat, that Golda Meir had failed as a war time leader, and that Richard Nixon had proven to be a surprising but steadfast friend of Israel. Mr. Kaufman shows that none of these views is correct. He has given me new appreciation for PM Meir's excellence in guiding the Jewish state-- a woman in "orthopedic shoes" successfully standing up, at various times, against Soviet threats, American pressure, and, of course the combined Egyptian-Syrian onslaught.
Mr. Kaufman's always crisp prose occasionally soars to poetic heights, giving striking images of war's terrible beauty. He also has an admirable sense of humor, and his wit is enhanced by the narrator's excellent timing. Another of Mr. Kaufman's gifts is his ability to relate an anecdote that captures a historical figure in a few strokes.
This book is exceptional, a great work of scholarship that is also a page turner. it is worth your time.
I would add that, at the war's end, both Syria and Egypt were not only beaten but vulnerable to further devastating blows. In the fifty years since the war, neither nation has shown any interest in a sequel. Perhaps there is a lesson here for American policymakers who want to see quiet (peace is too tall an order) in the Middle East, that roughest of neighborhoods.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mark Bruns
- 06-12-24
Insights From Declassified Material
The example of the Yom Kippur war illustrates in fabulous detail why conversations between the generals [generally available only after those guys are dead and cannot manage the spin] is extremely helpful to understanding history.
The whitewashing of history with the spin from the politicians and top figures [Meir, Arafat, Assad, Breznev, Nixon/Haig/Kissinger, whose leadership failures were the primary cause of the war, in the first place] is something that can only be detailed with release of the insights like in this book, long after the fact.
In general a very simple truth always holds, "NEVER, EVER, EVER waste any time consuming pol statements or experts working for newsorgs at the time ... the ONLY thing that pols and experts know how to do is to LIE and spin the story ... the cureent news is ALWAYS worse than useless, because it is necessarily going to be a collection of toxic garbage from soothing liars, spun for misleading the public and misleadingly countering the spin of the misleaders.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie A Krause
- 01-30-25
Thought provoking and entertaining
A twisting and turning account of the 1973 war. Very entertaining and provides a significant history of this important conflict.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JayMK
- 01-10-24
Was this a lesson learned?
This is an extraordinarily well written, well read and informative book! After reading about how unprepared Israel was in 1973 and comparing that lack of preparation to what happened on October 6, 2023, I am left with a concern that some lessons are not well learned and can be repeated to Israel's detriment. Regardless, this book is fantastic! 
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ongoing regional issue
I liked the detail given to aid an understanding to the reader of a complex regional issue that may never happen until both peoples can live together inspite of religious differences compounded by land awarded by super powers that amounted to theft by those already living there.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael L Muller
- 05-04-24
Great book, boring audio
The story and facts are very helpful to understanding the history of the Middle East conflict. a great read in that regard. However, the narration is very dry and it takes the reader about half the book to warm up and start sounding less mechancial.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D.R. Walker
- 09-20-24
An extraordinary telling
Although I came to adulthood during the Yom Kippur War, I had no clue as to the details. This is an excellent telling of one of Israel’s greatest blunders and how they managed to snatch a victory out of near defeat.
It sheds light on the capabilities of Israeli defenses and should serve as a cautionary tale to those who want to engage in hostilities.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Elisa Wolfe
- 08-06-24
Warts & All
This fascinating book shares insightful, intricate details from authoritative sources. If you anticipate that the book relays a biased, pro-Israel perspective, please know that the author does not shy away from criticizing Israel, its politicians, and its military leaders.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- H-53 Driver
- 10-26-24
Great Narration - comprehensive viewpoint
Great insight into not only the battlefield decisions, but also the political ones during an important modern conflict. Lessons abound in this agenda-free assessment of what happened, why it happened and the interactions of the decision-makers. Very different conflict from 1967 War. Because it lasted a bit longer, the role of the Superpower benefactors was larger in driving the end of the war.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 02-01-25
The clash of egos
The intense personal competition and Pattonesque ambition of all the leaders of each nation and army
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!