Do You like book Striking Back: The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre And Israel's Deadly Response (2005)?
It tells the story, with remarkable detail, the tragedy of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Eleven members of the Israeli delegation were taken hostage and then executed by members of the terror group Black September. It shows the ineptitude of the German officials in handling the situation. From here the Israelis respond with an undercover operation in which combatants are charged with execution orders passed down from each prime minister beginning with Golda Meir. These combatants, or Mossad, identify assassination targets for their part in the Munich incident and carry them out. The program matures into a counter terror campaign whose intent is proactivity.This book is well-researched and written. In the beginning, I felt discomfort, for it forced me to relive those awful and tense moments in 1972. At times it dragged on because of its redundant nature. It is still a good read. It shows the determination of the rebels who feel displaced and the determination of a small nation intent on defending itself. It brought to light the ineptitude of dealing with these conditions at that time.
—Gerald Kinro
"Striking Back" provides a good background on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict which endures to this day. The book centers on the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of the Israeli olympic team, and details a number of security failings of the Munich authorities which allowed the events to unfold as they did. Klein then tells the story of Israel's policy of preventive assassinations of the leaders of the Black September terrorists wing, using archived files of Israel's security forces. Unfortunately, you also get a sense of the endless cycle of attack and revenge on both sides, with a peaceful solution apparently still many generations away.
—Ray
A fascinating look at Israels' response to the terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympic games. First, the author gives a detailed account of the events in Munich. His description of the attempt to rescue the hostages at the airport, puts the blame squarely on the Bavarian authorities. It is sad how poorly the operation was planned and executed. This is contrasted with the job the Israeli counter-terrorist unit did in rescuing hostages from an El Al flight. This book describes the extraordinary work
—Jonathan
