A powerful personal testimony and an urgent call for Israel to change direction, from an unexpected source: the former head of the internal security service, Shin Bet.

Raised on a kibbutz by parents who escaped the Holocaust, Ami Ayalon's life embodies the Zionist dream. His dedication to his homeland led him to a meteoric career, becoming the commander of the navy and receiving the Medal of Valor, Israel's highest military distinction. Throughout, he remained a staunch supporter of his country's policies.

He was then appointed head of Shin Bet, and the unexpected happened. He forced himself to try to understand the lives and motivations of the Palestinians for the first time, gaining empathy for the “enemy,” and realized that when Israel carries out anti-terror operations in a context of despair, the Palestinian public will support violence because they have nothing to lose.

He understood that his patriotic life had blinded him to the self-destructive nature of policies that have undermined Israeli society while inflicting humiliations on its neighbors. In this deeply personal journey of discovery, Ami Ayalon seeks views and perspectives from Palestinians and Israelis whose experiences differ from his own, and arrives at radical conclusions about what Israel must do to achieve relative peace and security.

Pages: 320, Dimensions: 15.3x15.3cm