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La soledad de Israel
Que s’est-il passé le 7 octobre 2023 ?
Un choc dans l’âme juive ? un pogrom sans précédent depuis la Shoah ? un ébranlement de la conscience universelle ? une étape dans la guerre mondiale menée contre les démocraties ?
Quel lien avec l’invasion de l’Ukraine ?
Quel sens donner à l’alliance, autour des terroristes du Hamas, de l’Iran, de la Turquie, de la Russie impérialiste, de la Chine, de l’islamisme sunnite ?
La riposte de Tsahal fut-elle « proportionnée »?
Que voulait dire Emmanuel Levinas quand il parlait de l’« exception juive » ? Et Romain Gary et Albert Cohen quand ils annonçaient à l’auteur le retour de « la plus vieille des haines » ?
La solitude d’Israël est-elle irrémédiable ?
Telles sont quelques-unes des questions posées dans cet essai de colère et de combat que nourrit un demi-siècle d’amour pour l’Etat des Juifs et de méditation sur son destin.
Un choc dans l’âme juive ? un pogrom sans précédent depuis la Shoah ? un ébranlement de la conscience universelle ? une étape dans la guerre mondiale menée contre les démocraties ?
Quel lien avec l’invasion de l’Ukraine ?
Quel sens donner à l’alliance, autour des terroristes du Hamas, de l’Iran, de la Turquie, de la Russie impérialiste, de la Chine, de l’islamisme sunnite ?
La riposte de Tsahal fut-elle « proportionnée »?
Que voulait dire Emmanuel Levinas quand il parlait de l’« exception juive » ? Et Romain Gary et Albert Cohen quand ils annonçaient à l’auteur le retour de « la plus vieille des haines » ?
La solitude d’Israël est-elle irrémédiable ?
Telles sont quelques-unes des questions posées dans cet essai de colère et de combat que nourrit un demi-siècle d’amour pour l’Etat des Juifs et de méditation sur son destin.
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2024
206 people are currently reading
579 people want to read
About the author
Bernard-Henri Lévy
107 books241 followersBernard-Henri Lévy is a philosopher, activist, filmmaker, and author of more than thirty books including The Genius of Judaism, American Vertigo, Barbarism with a Human Face, and Who Killed Daniel Pearl? His writing has appeared extensively in publications throughout Europe and the United States. His documentaries include Peshmerga, The Battle of Mosul, The Oath of Tobruk, and Bosna! Lévy is cofounder of the antiracist group SOS Racisme and has served on diplomatic missions for the French government.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
July 17, 2024
Israel is alone because they are committing genocide
July 10, 2025
A profound and impassioned defense of Israel's right to exist and defend itself in an increasingly hostile world. Lévy, with his characteristic eloquence and philosophical depth, presents a narrative that is both a heartfelt plea and a rigorous analysis of contemporary geopolitics.
He begins with a vivid eyewitness account of the aftermath of the October 7th attacks, capturing the raw emotion and stark reality of the situation. His assertion that "Hamas made no distinction between adults and children" underscores the brutal nature of the conflict and lays the groundwork for his broader argument about the existential threats facing Israel.
Lévy's erudition is evident as he dissects the global response to these events, highlighting the resurgence of antisemitism cloaked in anti-Zionism. He argues that calls for a ceasefire without the release of hostages are "merely a disguised manner of inviting compromise and peace with assassins." This incisive critique of international diplomacy is bolstered by his observation that "the core problem between Israel and the Palestinians is a 76-year Palestinian refusal to genuinely accept a Jewish state in any borders." Lévy's ability to distill complex historical and political issues into clear, compelling prose is a testament to his intellectual prowess. Furthermore, Lévy passionately defends Zionism, describing it as "a noble idea central to the fight for justice and truth in an age of propaganda and disinformation." Patriotism is the love of your country and your people while nationalism is the hatred of the other. In stark contrast to the bigotted watermelon idiots who chant nationalist slogans, employ racist tactics and visibly wave, draw and paint despicable signs, Zionism is a legitimate indigenous patriotic movement.
Israel Alone is not just a defense of a nation but a broader meditation on the nature of freedom and the moral imperatives of our time. Lévy's passionate plea for understanding and support for Israel is rooted in a profound humanism and a deep commitment to justice. His reflection that "Israel’s war is existential, not only for Israel but for the global West" resonates as a clarion call to recognize the interconnectedness of global struggles for freedom and democracy. In Israel Alone, Lévy offers a powerful and necessary voice in the discussion about Israel, its countless gifts to humanity, its centrality for the tiny Jewish people, and its eternal place in the world.
"...I am thinking in particular of the New York Times’s long investigation, which described a woman being pulled behind a pickup like an animal to the slaughter and, on the way, being raped by five men before being finished off with a knife. Another who, after being raped, had dozens of nails driven into her groin and thighs for fun. Two others killed by bullets shot into the vagina. Still another whose breasts were slashed by one man while another penetrated her. And another whose face was cut up before she was decapitated.
There was the number of children killed (thirty five) and the universal scandal, in Kfar Aza as in Gaza, over the harm done to the innocent. Among the children were two babies, one machine gunned (Mila Cohen), the other kidnapped (Kfir Bibas). Children who could hardly speak….
...The fact is that what we had not wanted to see in Algeria when the emirs were cutting babies into slices and the philosopher André Glucksmann and I were nearly the only ones howling in rage; what we had refused to see in Syria when a dictator ordered his opponents dissolved in acid baths, their wives raped in front of their parents, and their children exposed to banned chemical weapons; what I had filmed in Nigeria, where Boko Haram and Fulani militants were hacking up Christians with machetes —we had all of that recorded right before our eyes in Israel.
All of the colorful masks with which assassins customarily disguise themselves fell from the faces of these “liberators” as they phoned their families holding a bloody pulp at arm’s length, crowing, “Mom, your son is a hero! I killed ten… ten with my own hands….”
All the strategies of avoidance and containment, all the tricks of conscience, all the conjuring rhetoric that we had been deploying for twenty, fifty, eighty years or more—all of it was pulverized by the Event.
Evil was there.
Pure evil, plain-faced, gratuitous, senseless.
Evil for nothing and for no reason; evil raw and unadorned ..."
He begins with a vivid eyewitness account of the aftermath of the October 7th attacks, capturing the raw emotion and stark reality of the situation. His assertion that "Hamas made no distinction between adults and children" underscores the brutal nature of the conflict and lays the groundwork for his broader argument about the existential threats facing Israel.
Lévy's erudition is evident as he dissects the global response to these events, highlighting the resurgence of antisemitism cloaked in anti-Zionism. He argues that calls for a ceasefire without the release of hostages are "merely a disguised manner of inviting compromise and peace with assassins." This incisive critique of international diplomacy is bolstered by his observation that "the core problem between Israel and the Palestinians is a 76-year Palestinian refusal to genuinely accept a Jewish state in any borders." Lévy's ability to distill complex historical and political issues into clear, compelling prose is a testament to his intellectual prowess. Furthermore, Lévy passionately defends Zionism, describing it as "a noble idea central to the fight for justice and truth in an age of propaganda and disinformation." Patriotism is the love of your country and your people while nationalism is the hatred of the other. In stark contrast to the bigotted watermelon idiots who chant nationalist slogans, employ racist tactics and visibly wave, draw and paint despicable signs, Zionism is a legitimate indigenous patriotic movement.
Israel Alone is not just a defense of a nation but a broader meditation on the nature of freedom and the moral imperatives of our time. Lévy's passionate plea for understanding and support for Israel is rooted in a profound humanism and a deep commitment to justice. His reflection that "Israel’s war is existential, not only for Israel but for the global West" resonates as a clarion call to recognize the interconnectedness of global struggles for freedom and democracy. In Israel Alone, Lévy offers a powerful and necessary voice in the discussion about Israel, its countless gifts to humanity, its centrality for the tiny Jewish people, and its eternal place in the world.
"...I am thinking in particular of the New York Times’s long investigation, which described a woman being pulled behind a pickup like an animal to the slaughter and, on the way, being raped by five men before being finished off with a knife. Another who, after being raped, had dozens of nails driven into her groin and thighs for fun. Two others killed by bullets shot into the vagina. Still another whose breasts were slashed by one man while another penetrated her. And another whose face was cut up before she was decapitated.
There was the number of children killed (thirty five) and the universal scandal, in Kfar Aza as in Gaza, over the harm done to the innocent. Among the children were two babies, one machine gunned (Mila Cohen), the other kidnapped (Kfir Bibas). Children who could hardly speak….
...The fact is that what we had not wanted to see in Algeria when the emirs were cutting babies into slices and the philosopher André Glucksmann and I were nearly the only ones howling in rage; what we had refused to see in Syria when a dictator ordered his opponents dissolved in acid baths, their wives raped in front of their parents, and their children exposed to banned chemical weapons; what I had filmed in Nigeria, where Boko Haram and Fulani militants were hacking up Christians with machetes —we had all of that recorded right before our eyes in Israel.
All of the colorful masks with which assassins customarily disguise themselves fell from the faces of these “liberators” as they phoned their families holding a bloody pulp at arm’s length, crowing, “Mom, your son is a hero! I killed ten… ten with my own hands….”
All the strategies of avoidance and containment, all the tricks of conscience, all the conjuring rhetoric that we had been deploying for twenty, fifty, eighty years or more—all of it was pulverized by the Event.
Evil was there.
Pure evil, plain-faced, gratuitous, senseless.
Evil for nothing and for no reason; evil raw and unadorned ..."
June 17, 2024
This book was such an inspiration to me, because it is not often that one can read someone as cultured and clear in his thoughts as this philosopher, and see a limpid explanation for what is currently happening and for the whole drama now occuring.
I do hope that more and more people know the truth and manage to think clearly about this harsh reality.
Kudos for Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon, 17th June 2024
I do hope that more and more people know the truth and manage to think clearly about this harsh reality.
Kudos for Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Maria Carmo,
Lisbon, 17th June 2024
September 8, 2024
In a sweeping history of Israel’s existence, featuring documentary evidence of Israel’s struggle to survive from the date of its birth, the eminent Bernard-Henri Levy has created a treatise on how the October 7, 2023 massacre exemplifies ongoing antisemitism in a world that has always made Jews into scapegoats.
For a few minutes in time, the world was shocked by and empathetic to the victims of a vicious act of terrorism perpetrated on thousands of young civilians gathered only to dance. Everything changed in a few hours. Mr Levy explains that the phrase Never Again, coined to expel the notion of another Jewish Holocaust/ genocide could ever be repeated. It became immediately obsolete. The unthinkable had occurred. But once Israel fought back world support dwindled and ended. Through historical fact and carefully documented sources, we come to understand that Israel stands alone with no true or dependable allies.
I’m not going to reiterate the arguments that are so well stated in this heartfelt and heartbreaking work. If you are interested in these facts, you must read this book. It is a dark and anxiety provoking analysis of why a ceasefire cannot work in the context of Israel’s ongoing effort to simply exist in a world that would deny them that right.
Five stars for the story of a people that must be told. My thanks to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for an ARC in exchange for my review. Publication in English will be on September 10,2024. It is a must read for those interested in keeping an open mind about Israel’s history and right to exist.
For a few minutes in time, the world was shocked by and empathetic to the victims of a vicious act of terrorism perpetrated on thousands of young civilians gathered only to dance. Everything changed in a few hours. Mr Levy explains that the phrase Never Again, coined to expel the notion of another Jewish Holocaust/ genocide could ever be repeated. It became immediately obsolete. The unthinkable had occurred. But once Israel fought back world support dwindled and ended. Through historical fact and carefully documented sources, we come to understand that Israel stands alone with no true or dependable allies.
I’m not going to reiterate the arguments that are so well stated in this heartfelt and heartbreaking work. If you are interested in these facts, you must read this book. It is a dark and anxiety provoking analysis of why a ceasefire cannot work in the context of Israel’s ongoing effort to simply exist in a world that would deny them that right.
Five stars for the story of a people that must be told. My thanks to NetGalley and Post Hill Press for an ARC in exchange for my review. Publication in English will be on September 10,2024. It is a must read for those interested in keeping an open mind about Israel’s history and right to exist.
September 19, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked Son for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was the kind of book that I didn’t want to read, but felt it was important to do. It’s like Holocaust memoirs—I never *want* to read one, but I do whenever I get the chance because I was raised to bear witness and work hard to make a better world for all of us. This wasn’t an easy book to read, but it’s so important, and really addresses a lot of issues, both historic and current, that have led to Israel’s isolation on the world stage.
October 7th, 2023 is a day that I already know I’ll remember vividly for the rest of my life. While I wasn’t in Israel, someone very close to me was at the Nova festival, and when I saw the news, I was one of the people waiting with my heart in my mouth to find out if my loved one was safe … and alive. Someone let me know that she was okay, and safety at home. But three of her close friends were taken hostage, and one is still a hostage, but there hasn't been any news about him, so it’s just a waiting game. It wasn’t just my moral obligation to bear witness that led me to read this book, but more in an effort to understand how the world has seemed to flip upside down and antisemitism has exploded around the world.
To start with, I hadn’t heard of Bernard-Henri Lévy before this, but was very impressed with his background—fifty years of visiting Israel, engaging in activism, creating documentaries about various wars around the world, and advising Israeli leaders on peace plans and conflicts since the 1970s. His extensive knowledge shows in this work, especially as he connects the dots between past and present, and exploring how this massive increase in antisemitism developed, seemingly out of nowhere, and has changed how our world views not only Israel, but diaspora Jews.
What hit me first about this book was that it is dedicated to the hostages held in Gaza. At the time of this book’s original French printing, there were 131. When the English version was made available, the number was changed to 120—but no one has been able to provide an exact count of how many remain alive. Five hostages had been rescued alive, others have had their bodies recovered. I started this book and was immediately struck by the name Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the six hostages who was murdered by Hamas just days before they were found by the IDF, since he was still alive at the time that this book was printed.
I was really worried that it would be difficult to read, because of the emotional aspect of this whole situation. However, Lévy tackles the subject matter with respect and sensitivity, focusing more on the background of the conflict and the aftermath than the gory aspects of the tragedy. Initially, he discusses his experiences visiting Israel the day after, on October 8th, with busy cities more like ghost towns, and everyone trying to put their shattered lives and sense of safety back together. By the time of his visit, most of the bodies had been cleaned up, but touring towns and kibbutzim surrounding Gaza revealed the extent of the pogrom: he describes what he saw, what he smelled, allowing readers to visualize the aftermath.
Lévy explores the mind-boggling phenomenon of how Hamas terrorists filmed their acts and proudly bragged about them to their parents, friends, and sharing videos on the internet, yet:
“In spite of this evidence, there were some cynical souls who came forward immediately after October 7 to say that they either saw nothing or did not believe what they had seen.”
Over the last 11 months, we have watched in real time as people refused to believe what they saw and heard with their own eyes, called facts ‘propaganda,’ creating new definitions for words that don’t align with what the word really means, and blaming everything on Israel and the Zionists, while ignoring everything negative about Hamas, even to the point of people on the streets calling to globalize the intifada and gas Jews. This wasn’t the response that we were expecting, and it wasn’t a response that helped the conflict in any way.
“The truth is, the pogrom that should have been—and was, for a brief moment—the occasion for seamless solidarity with the dead and those who mourned them, produced the opposite effect: a gale of anti-Semitism (sic). Or, to call it by its right name, a tempest of hatred for Jews without precedent since the Second World War.”
This book also debunks a lot of the misinformation that is being spread around about Israel and its history, the conflict between Hamas and Israel, and offers plenty of factual, historical information that is freely available in this day and age. However, dialogue and research seem to have gone out of fashion, in favor of being able to shout louder than your opponent, and an inability to accept views that don’t align with one’s own echo chamber. Discussing how Israel is not a ‘settler-colonial project,’ but rather one of the most successful decolonization efforts by an Indigenous population (yes, Jews are indigenous to the Levant, not Europe).
Finally, the book turns its attention to radical Islamism, and how the spread of it threatens not only Israel and Jews, but is a threat to democracy, Western values, and freedom. Another easily observed fact is the blatant Arab imperialism that is ignored—Islam has been spread from the Arabian peninsula to the entire SWANA (Southwest Asian and North Africa) region, much of Africa and Asia, in their own brand of settler-colonialism, while blaming Jews for the same thing in their own ancestral homeland. Islamist violence threatens us all, no matter your religion. The goal is a global caliphate, and Israel is on the front lines of this fight … alone.
Overall, this is an exceptional book. It’s thoroughly researched and should be read by everyone. Yes, the author talks about gore that he’s seen in a straightforward manner, without it ever feeling like trauma porn or gratuitous gore. The connections between ancient and current antisemitism can’t be ignored, and Lévy gives a clear and easy to understand analysis of this major Event (as he terms it) and what happened afterwards. If you know a Jewish person or don’t, if you’ve been personally affected by October 7th or not, or if you are only becoming aware of the increasing antisemitism and want to learn more, this is a great place to start.
This was the kind of book that I didn’t want to read, but felt it was important to do. It’s like Holocaust memoirs—I never *want* to read one, but I do whenever I get the chance because I was raised to bear witness and work hard to make a better world for all of us. This wasn’t an easy book to read, but it’s so important, and really addresses a lot of issues, both historic and current, that have led to Israel’s isolation on the world stage.
October 7th, 2023 is a day that I already know I’ll remember vividly for the rest of my life. While I wasn’t in Israel, someone very close to me was at the Nova festival, and when I saw the news, I was one of the people waiting with my heart in my mouth to find out if my loved one was safe … and alive. Someone let me know that she was okay, and safety at home. But three of her close friends were taken hostage, and one is still a hostage, but there hasn't been any news about him, so it’s just a waiting game. It wasn’t just my moral obligation to bear witness that led me to read this book, but more in an effort to understand how the world has seemed to flip upside down and antisemitism has exploded around the world.
To start with, I hadn’t heard of Bernard-Henri Lévy before this, but was very impressed with his background—fifty years of visiting Israel, engaging in activism, creating documentaries about various wars around the world, and advising Israeli leaders on peace plans and conflicts since the 1970s. His extensive knowledge shows in this work, especially as he connects the dots between past and present, and exploring how this massive increase in antisemitism developed, seemingly out of nowhere, and has changed how our world views not only Israel, but diaspora Jews.
What hit me first about this book was that it is dedicated to the hostages held in Gaza. At the time of this book’s original French printing, there were 131. When the English version was made available, the number was changed to 120—but no one has been able to provide an exact count of how many remain alive. Five hostages had been rescued alive, others have had their bodies recovered. I started this book and was immediately struck by the name Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the six hostages who was murdered by Hamas just days before they were found by the IDF, since he was still alive at the time that this book was printed.
I was really worried that it would be difficult to read, because of the emotional aspect of this whole situation. However, Lévy tackles the subject matter with respect and sensitivity, focusing more on the background of the conflict and the aftermath than the gory aspects of the tragedy. Initially, he discusses his experiences visiting Israel the day after, on October 8th, with busy cities more like ghost towns, and everyone trying to put their shattered lives and sense of safety back together. By the time of his visit, most of the bodies had been cleaned up, but touring towns and kibbutzim surrounding Gaza revealed the extent of the pogrom: he describes what he saw, what he smelled, allowing readers to visualize the aftermath.
Lévy explores the mind-boggling phenomenon of how Hamas terrorists filmed their acts and proudly bragged about them to their parents, friends, and sharing videos on the internet, yet:
“In spite of this evidence, there were some cynical souls who came forward immediately after October 7 to say that they either saw nothing or did not believe what they had seen.”
Over the last 11 months, we have watched in real time as people refused to believe what they saw and heard with their own eyes, called facts ‘propaganda,’ creating new definitions for words that don’t align with what the word really means, and blaming everything on Israel and the Zionists, while ignoring everything negative about Hamas, even to the point of people on the streets calling to globalize the intifada and gas Jews. This wasn’t the response that we were expecting, and it wasn’t a response that helped the conflict in any way.
“The truth is, the pogrom that should have been—and was, for a brief moment—the occasion for seamless solidarity with the dead and those who mourned them, produced the opposite effect: a gale of anti-Semitism (sic). Or, to call it by its right name, a tempest of hatred for Jews without precedent since the Second World War.”
This book also debunks a lot of the misinformation that is being spread around about Israel and its history, the conflict between Hamas and Israel, and offers plenty of factual, historical information that is freely available in this day and age. However, dialogue and research seem to have gone out of fashion, in favor of being able to shout louder than your opponent, and an inability to accept views that don’t align with one’s own echo chamber. Discussing how Israel is not a ‘settler-colonial project,’ but rather one of the most successful decolonization efforts by an Indigenous population (yes, Jews are indigenous to the Levant, not Europe).
Finally, the book turns its attention to radical Islamism, and how the spread of it threatens not only Israel and Jews, but is a threat to democracy, Western values, and freedom. Another easily observed fact is the blatant Arab imperialism that is ignored—Islam has been spread from the Arabian peninsula to the entire SWANA (Southwest Asian and North Africa) region, much of Africa and Asia, in their own brand of settler-colonialism, while blaming Jews for the same thing in their own ancestral homeland. Islamist violence threatens us all, no matter your religion. The goal is a global caliphate, and Israel is on the front lines of this fight … alone.
Overall, this is an exceptional book. It’s thoroughly researched and should be read by everyone. Yes, the author talks about gore that he’s seen in a straightforward manner, without it ever feeling like trauma porn or gratuitous gore. The connections between ancient and current antisemitism can’t be ignored, and Lévy gives a clear and easy to understand analysis of this major Event (as he terms it) and what happened afterwards. If you know a Jewish person or don’t, if you’ve been personally affected by October 7th or not, or if you are only becoming aware of the increasing antisemitism and want to learn more, this is a great place to start.
December 30, 2024
I hated Bernard Levy’s point of view here which I probably decided too early on to give it a fair read. I think I object to just about any history or analysis of a historical situation which defines an absolute starting place from which all good or evil emanates, as he does here with October 7. It was a genocidal abomination, but it was not the birth but an outgrowth. Finally more than half way through he begins to delve into relevant history, which he carefully cherry picks. In his analysis (until he mentions the settlements in the last chapter) Israel can do no wrong. Blame can be apportioned to everyone else — Palestinians, Arabs, the Germans, the English. The Israelis are pure. He lost me early on, when he says the Israelis are totally justified in their present action, even if neither he nor they have any path from here, or have any idea what they are trying to achieve in the long run, despite his acknowledgement that the October 7 attack was not an existential blow.. If I were a defendant on trial for murder, particularly a guilty one, I would love him as my defense counsel. He is passionate in search of acquittal but not the truth.
June 28, 2024
Parece que começou a temporada dos ensaios… subo a pulso este género literário que não tem a minha preferência.
Começa por nos recordar a história geopolítica que antecedeu a tragédia actual e segue para a análise detalhada de uma acção dramática catastrófica e funesta que é de toda a Humanidade.
Leitura imperativa e de uma actualidade pungente.
Começa por nos recordar a história geopolítica que antecedeu a tragédia actual e segue para a análise detalhada de uma acção dramática catastrófica e funesta que é de toda a Humanidade.
Leitura imperativa e de uma actualidade pungente.
April 26, 2024
As always Bernard Henri Levy puts into words exactly how I’m feeling. The isolation, the loneliness but also the growing anxiety of a world slowly going back into dark times. I suddenly felt seen.
The 7th of October has forever changed my view of the world, not a day goes by that I don’t think of the hostages, of Noa, wondering if she’s still alive and at what price.
Bernard-Henri also answers the most frequently asked questions and arguments around this conflict, simply and with plenty of facts and information to back up his answers.
I hope this book will also get into the hands of many non-Jewish people.
The 7th of October has forever changed my view of the world, not a day goes by that I don’t think of the hostages, of Noa, wondering if she’s still alive and at what price.
Bernard-Henri also answers the most frequently asked questions and arguments around this conflict, simply and with plenty of facts and information to back up his answers.
I hope this book will also get into the hands of many non-Jewish people.
August 31, 2024
A alma judaica é insuperável, inabalável, justa, inteligente, autocrítica e estudiosa. A minha admiração pelos judeus, pela sua cultura e pela sua religião está consubstanciada neste livro. Porquê? Porque, se foca na desconstrução dos argumentos anti-semitas disseminados pelo mundo inteiro, depois do massacre de 7 de outubro, massacre este perpetrado por um grupo terrorista e que fez 251 reféns e 1400 mortes das formas mais cruéis e macabras que possam imaginar. Mortes estas festejadas no mundo islâmico radical, filmadas e transmitidas em direto pelas redes sociais, apoiadas na sua execução por um eixo que vemos formar-se: Irão-Rússia-China, entre outros atores satélite, mas igualmente radicais e anti-ocidente.
Como é que Israel passou de vítima a carrasco em dois tempos? Como se explicam as violentíssimas manifestações contra Israel, os ataques a judeus, a destruição de sinagogas, os slogans anti-semitas gritados a plenos pulmões por reitores de universidades, estudantes e repetidos em uníssono por todo o mundo?
Este livro é essencial para se compreender o que se passa atualmente no Médio Oriente e o perigo que representa para o chamado “mundo ocidental”. É igualmente importante para destruir os argumentos anti-semitas disfarçados de “amor pelas minorias” que por aí circulam.
A minha opinião é conhecida de todos vós porque nunca a escondi. Defendo Israel e sou completamente contra qualquer ação ou grupo terrorista. E porque as redes sociais têm tido tanto espaço para a “causa palestiniana” e para constantes ataques a Israel, penso que também tem que ter espaço para a defesa de Israel e dos judeus no mundo inteiro, porque é a sua existência que está em causa mais uma vez.
Escrevi em vários quadros todos os argumentos que o autor apresenta. Queria que todos soubessem o que verdadeiramente se passa, os factos, os argumentos. Depois decidi não publicá-los. Acredito que quem tiver o coração e a alma no lugar certo irá ler este livro e aprofundar os seus conhecimentos. Os restantes continuarão empedernidos no seu ódio por Israel e por judeus. Os judeus não evangelizam e eu também não, por isso deixo o desafio de lerem este livro e não imponho nada a ninguém. Mas defendo aquilo em que acredito e eu acredito em Israel.
Como também acredito mais em livros do que em slogans gritados sem qualquer conhecimento de causa, continuarei a aprofundar os meus conhecimentos nesta matéria, bem como em tudo relacionado com a religião e cultura judaicas, através de livros, documentários, filmes, viagens, etc. Nunca pelo que vejo apenas na televisão portuguesa ou nas redes sociais, que são limitadas e tendenciosas. Poucos são os que se atrevem a falar de Israel com a honestidade que este país merece.
Como é que Israel passou de vítima a carrasco em dois tempos? Como se explicam as violentíssimas manifestações contra Israel, os ataques a judeus, a destruição de sinagogas, os slogans anti-semitas gritados a plenos pulmões por reitores de universidades, estudantes e repetidos em uníssono por todo o mundo?
Este livro é essencial para se compreender o que se passa atualmente no Médio Oriente e o perigo que representa para o chamado “mundo ocidental”. É igualmente importante para destruir os argumentos anti-semitas disfarçados de “amor pelas minorias” que por aí circulam.
A minha opinião é conhecida de todos vós porque nunca a escondi. Defendo Israel e sou completamente contra qualquer ação ou grupo terrorista. E porque as redes sociais têm tido tanto espaço para a “causa palestiniana” e para constantes ataques a Israel, penso que também tem que ter espaço para a defesa de Israel e dos judeus no mundo inteiro, porque é a sua existência que está em causa mais uma vez.
Escrevi em vários quadros todos os argumentos que o autor apresenta. Queria que todos soubessem o que verdadeiramente se passa, os factos, os argumentos. Depois decidi não publicá-los. Acredito que quem tiver o coração e a alma no lugar certo irá ler este livro e aprofundar os seus conhecimentos. Os restantes continuarão empedernidos no seu ódio por Israel e por judeus. Os judeus não evangelizam e eu também não, por isso deixo o desafio de lerem este livro e não imponho nada a ninguém. Mas defendo aquilo em que acredito e eu acredito em Israel.
Como também acredito mais em livros do que em slogans gritados sem qualquer conhecimento de causa, continuarei a aprofundar os meus conhecimentos nesta matéria, bem como em tudo relacionado com a religião e cultura judaicas, através de livros, documentários, filmes, viagens, etc. Nunca pelo que vejo apenas na televisão portuguesa ou nas redes sociais, que são limitadas e tendenciosas. Poucos são os que se atrevem a falar de Israel com a honestidade que este país merece.
September 1, 2024
“Solidão de Israel” é apresentado, na contracapa, como sendo “um impressionante ensaio escrito com emoção, cólera e razão”, mais destacando que este é o “livro que desmonta os argumentos anti-semitas”. Infelizmente, do meu ponto de vista, o “ensaio” de Bernard-Henri Lévy está mais escrito com recurso à emoção e à cólera do que à razão, ou seja, o autor recorre abundantemente ao “pathos”, em manifesto desprimor do “logos”. Isto é sobretudo visível nas duas primeiras partes do livro partes (“Metafísica do 7 de Outubro” e “Quando o negacionismo opera em tempo real…”). A terceira parte é, do meu ponto de vista, a que se consegue libertar do estilo anterior, talvez por apresentar alguns elementos históricos (e, por isso, mais distantes do 7 de outubro). É, neste aspeto, de salientar que o autor defende que os colonatos mantidos por Israel, em violação das resoluções da ONU devem ser desmantelados (p. 108).
Do ponto de vista formal, a redação do livro parece seguir demasiado um registo oral, não sendo um texto que gostaria mais articulado objetivo.
Confesso que esperava também um texto mais analítico (um verdadeiro “ensaio”) e que, neste ponto, me parece que o autor se deveria ter permitido ter tido mais tempo e distância para o redigir. A este propósito, é sintomática a oposição à apresentação pela África do Sul do processo por genocídio junto do Tribunal Internacional de Justiça e da reação do mundo. A cautela exigiria – acreditando, como acredito, na independência deste órgão da ONU – que a apresentação do processo em si não fosse alvo de crítica, sarcasmo, ou condoimento, mas antes de normal averiguação de factos que, ao contrário do que o autor alega, não são totalmente contrariados no seu ensaio.
Do ponto de vista formal, a redação do livro parece seguir demasiado um registo oral, não sendo um texto que gostaria mais articulado objetivo.
Confesso que esperava também um texto mais analítico (um verdadeiro “ensaio”) e que, neste ponto, me parece que o autor se deveria ter permitido ter tido mais tempo e distância para o redigir. A este propósito, é sintomática a oposição à apresentação pela África do Sul do processo por genocídio junto do Tribunal Internacional de Justiça e da reação do mundo. A cautela exigiria – acreditando, como acredito, na independência deste órgão da ONU – que a apresentação do processo em si não fosse alvo de crítica, sarcasmo, ou condoimento, mas antes de normal averiguação de factos que, ao contrário do que o autor alega, não são totalmente contrariados no seu ensaio.
June 5, 2025
This is hasbara pretending to be philosophy and history. As soon as he talked about Israel leaving Gaza in 2005, I stopped. Israel didn’t leave that occupation. Israel surrounded it on all sides along with the Egyptian government and put the Palestinians on a strict diet of blockade. And who goes to a festival five minutes from the world’s biggest concentration camp? No mention of the Hannibal directive or that, if it is a war, how can IOF soldiers be considered “hostages” and not prisoners of war? Also, Gaza was a concentration camp according to Amira Hass and Giora Eiland before Oct 7. It’s all been leveled now as of June 2025. Israel has committed a genocide. This author isn’t a philosopher anymore, he’s a propagandist. The Palestinians are like the Jews were, bare life. They are demonized and no one wants them. Israel still expects Palestinians to be well behaved victims of their brutal occupation.
March 24, 2024
A lire pour appréhender le 7/10 en Israël et ses racines et implications
January 5, 2025
1.5 stars. The author is insufferable.
November 14, 2025
I probably shouldn’t have listened to this one on audio. :/ It’s a short book, but it’s also jam packed with content. I called it “fraught,” and that may have been my most appreciated contribution to my synagogue’s Israel book club.
…and yes, undoubtedly the highlight in any case was discussing this text with said book club. This is the second Bernard-Henri Levy we’ve read. Back in 2021, we picked up THE GENIUS OF JUDAISM, and my take was a little bit tepid. “It’s a slog to get through the text,” I wrote in my review, particularly citing strange sentence structures, possibly due to translation (the audiobook option sounds more appealing again. :P) With regards to the points he was making: “I wonder if [they] are too grand and sweeping, a smokescreen instead of nuance. I can’t help but get the impression that Levy likes to hear himself speak, perhaps to the detriment of his message.”
Perhaps, too, I should be grateful my book club doesn’t have my GoodReads link, because one of the organizers is an acquaintance of Levy! In this book, we talked a bit about authorial intent. Our takeaway was that he would want us to grapple with the text.
This new book, published in 2024, is definitely shorter and more pointed than the last. In large part it is a condemnation—or maybe, as members of my discussion group said—a rant. It’s about feeling betrayed by the world after October 7. He doesn’t couch his message at all, meaning some people probably won’t deign to listen to it. But, on behalf of the members of my book club (at least the breakout group in which I was placed for more intimate discussion) I think we mostly felt heard.
“No land on this planet is a shelter for Jews; that is what the Event of October 7 proclaims,” Levy writes (and narrator Paul Boehmer intones with some vehemence.) “Never and nowhere will it be possible to say that Jews can live in the world the way the French live in France, the English in England, and the Americans in America.”
In truth, I’d say I agree with the sentiment of that statement more than its factual reality. (What is an American, I might ask an extremist on either the far right or the far left of my country. That being said, it will only include Jews if we pass certain loyalty tests—if we are included at all.) But the greater point is how much significant quarters of the world have excused—and even justified—the violence of October 7. This ideology denies the humanity of half of the worldwide Jewish population, and to which much of the rest of us are bound by ties of blood and friendship. The modern state of Israel exists in the post-Shoah world, but October 7 brought us back to a reality of mass persecution. It is “a space where political realism and its calculations is dislodged by fear and memory,” Ben Cohen wrote in his book review for JNS.
It's an overwhelming truth. Listening to this book certainly felt like being on social media for the past two years (which is why I’ve consistently and fruitlessly told myself to stay clear of the Musk platform.) Talking to Jews in my community felt very cathartic. A safe space to parse through our responses to the trauma. (At one point we talked about what Levy might’ve written differently if the book was published today. I brought up that the living hostages are now home, but that just feels like the ache has moved to a different part of our collective body. Anywho.)
Another discussion point: this wasn’t a book that offered any solutions. It offered a place to acknowledge a reality that the world doesn’t always, as we said in the breakout group, bend towards justice. Beyond Levy’s credentials as a French Jewish philosopher, writer and filmmaker, he is also a political activist who has worked in journalism across many world conflicts. Before October 7, he was most actively involved in covering Russia’s war on Ukraine. He has a penchant for what he calls “the Global West,” of “Western Enlightenment.” (This might be where I take a more binary approach. I’ll judge any actor—“Western” or not—based on their adherence either to compromise and peacebuilding or authoritarianism and war mongering. And yes, the current Israeli government falls short for both of us.)
I think there’s merit to staying stuck in the mire for a little while. Acknowledging the fraught nature of a world threaded with antisemitism and other evils. There is no direct path to an easy answer. Levy is a Jewish scholar. He knows the words from Pirkei Avot likely better than I do: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
First, a moment to acknowledge reality. Then the journey forward.
…and yes, undoubtedly the highlight in any case was discussing this text with said book club. This is the second Bernard-Henri Levy we’ve read. Back in 2021, we picked up THE GENIUS OF JUDAISM, and my take was a little bit tepid. “It’s a slog to get through the text,” I wrote in my review, particularly citing strange sentence structures, possibly due to translation (the audiobook option sounds more appealing again. :P) With regards to the points he was making: “I wonder if [they] are too grand and sweeping, a smokescreen instead of nuance. I can’t help but get the impression that Levy likes to hear himself speak, perhaps to the detriment of his message.”
Perhaps, too, I should be grateful my book club doesn’t have my GoodReads link, because one of the organizers is an acquaintance of Levy! In this book, we talked a bit about authorial intent. Our takeaway was that he would want us to grapple with the text.
This new book, published in 2024, is definitely shorter and more pointed than the last. In large part it is a condemnation—or maybe, as members of my discussion group said—a rant. It’s about feeling betrayed by the world after October 7. He doesn’t couch his message at all, meaning some people probably won’t deign to listen to it. But, on behalf of the members of my book club (at least the breakout group in which I was placed for more intimate discussion) I think we mostly felt heard.
“No land on this planet is a shelter for Jews; that is what the Event of October 7 proclaims,” Levy writes (and narrator Paul Boehmer intones with some vehemence.) “Never and nowhere will it be possible to say that Jews can live in the world the way the French live in France, the English in England, and the Americans in America.”
In truth, I’d say I agree with the sentiment of that statement more than its factual reality. (What is an American, I might ask an extremist on either the far right or the far left of my country. That being said, it will only include Jews if we pass certain loyalty tests—if we are included at all.) But the greater point is how much significant quarters of the world have excused—and even justified—the violence of October 7. This ideology denies the humanity of half of the worldwide Jewish population, and to which much of the rest of us are bound by ties of blood and friendship. The modern state of Israel exists in the post-Shoah world, but October 7 brought us back to a reality of mass persecution. It is “a space where political realism and its calculations is dislodged by fear and memory,” Ben Cohen wrote in his book review for JNS.
It's an overwhelming truth. Listening to this book certainly felt like being on social media for the past two years (which is why I’ve consistently and fruitlessly told myself to stay clear of the Musk platform.) Talking to Jews in my community felt very cathartic. A safe space to parse through our responses to the trauma. (At one point we talked about what Levy might’ve written differently if the book was published today. I brought up that the living hostages are now home, but that just feels like the ache has moved to a different part of our collective body. Anywho.)
Another discussion point: this wasn’t a book that offered any solutions. It offered a place to acknowledge a reality that the world doesn’t always, as we said in the breakout group, bend towards justice. Beyond Levy’s credentials as a French Jewish philosopher, writer and filmmaker, he is also a political activist who has worked in journalism across many world conflicts. Before October 7, he was most actively involved in covering Russia’s war on Ukraine. He has a penchant for what he calls “the Global West,” of “Western Enlightenment.” (This might be where I take a more binary approach. I’ll judge any actor—“Western” or not—based on their adherence either to compromise and peacebuilding or authoritarianism and war mongering. And yes, the current Israeli government falls short for both of us.)
I think there’s merit to staying stuck in the mire for a little while. Acknowledging the fraught nature of a world threaded with antisemitism and other evils. There is no direct path to an easy answer. Levy is a Jewish scholar. He knows the words from Pirkei Avot likely better than I do: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
First, a moment to acknowledge reality. Then the journey forward.
November 26, 2024
Absolutely superb. My library copy is stuffed with papers to mark pages to revisit. I will have to buy my own copy. (Reminder: This is a book that a prominent book-trade outlet refused to advertise, after they'd agreed to.)
September 15, 2024
10 stars. Exceptional from front to back.
July 5, 2024
Bernard- Henri Lévy, neste livro, apresenta a argumentação devidamente fundamentada dos motivos que o levam a afirmar que Israel tem direito a defender-se neste conflito e tem direito à sua existência e os judeus à sua pátria, bem como apresenta os motivos pelos quais não é apoiante do Hamas.
Recomendo a leitura a todos os que possam querer entrar num diálogo aberto e construtivo, e ouvir também a versão dos factos, do lado israelita, pois os media têm feito o favor de fazer exactamente o contrário em exclusivo e olhado apenas para a questão do lado palestiniano.
E é importante, por isso, na minha opinião, conhecer obras que defendam outras versões dos recentes acontecimentos de 7 de outubro de 2023, mesmo quando não se possa concordar ou mesmo que se concorde, porque é importante conhecer bem os dois lados de história do conflito. E não ouvir apenas um lado.
Recomendo a leitura a todos os que possam querer entrar num diálogo aberto e construtivo, e ouvir também a versão dos factos, do lado israelita, pois os media têm feito o favor de fazer exactamente o contrário em exclusivo e olhado apenas para a questão do lado palestiniano.
E é importante, por isso, na minha opinião, conhecer obras que defendam outras versões dos recentes acontecimentos de 7 de outubro de 2023, mesmo quando não se possa concordar ou mesmo que se concorde, porque é importante conhecer bem os dois lados de história do conflito. E não ouvir apenas um lado.
April 1, 2024
Dans les deux premières parties du livre, je retrouve avec toute modestie une bonne proportion de mes propres interrogations et analyses depuis le 7 octobre.
À lire absolument pour comprendre et surtout apprendre à raisonner (et faire son examen de conscience, message à destination de tous ceux qui arborent le visage de la haine depuis le 07.10 et aux adeptes du "oui, mais").
À lire absolument pour comprendre et surtout apprendre à raisonner (et faire son examen de conscience, message à destination de tous ceux qui arborent le visage de la haine depuis le 07.10 et aux adeptes du "oui, mais").
November 10, 2024
When you write about war, writing is less an art than an action. Lévy finished the French version of this book in late February 2024, less than five months into the war and the hostages’ captivity. The speed of writing reflects the urgency of his mission: to frame October 7th, the war, and the plight of the hostages in a larger historical picture than news media and TikTok can offer. And to do so before the world banishes the memory of what happened. Because October 7th opened a new moment in history. The return of antisemitism as a geopolitical force launches us into a shrouded future, yet one eerily reminiscent of the past. Israel stands alone, for now, Lévy says, against this evil. It doesn’t have to. If only the world will heed its example.
January 12, 2025
This is a short book where the author justifies Israel’s response to the 7/10 Hamas attacks and, in the process, provides his responses to various questions raised about the appropriateness of Israel’s response, logic of founding a Jewish state by usurping land from existing residents of the land (Palestinians) and the like. I had earlier read his book “Who killed Daniel Pearl” which was well researched. In this book, the author provides many valid justifications but - in my opinion - his arguments about the justification about founding a Jewish state in the heart of Arab settlers was less than convincing.
November 24, 2024
Wonderful explanation of why Israel needs to exist
11 months on from 10/7 this a wonderful explanation of why Israel needs to exist as a refuge for Jewish people and why they’re not “settler colonialists”, of why Hamas with its human-shields-maximising-civilian-deaths strategy is responsible for the deaths of children in Gaza, and how the current Israeli government (Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu) with its idea of Jewish supremacy no longer adheres to the founding principles of a “radiant, luminous, exemplary Zionism […] exemplary because, despite wars, despite blows administered and blows received, it holds fast to Abraham’s commandment: ‘This house that we have built’ should be ‘a house of prayer for all peoples.’”
11 months on from 10/7 this a wonderful explanation of why Israel needs to exist as a refuge for Jewish people and why they’re not “settler colonialists”, of why Hamas with its human-shields-maximising-civilian-deaths strategy is responsible for the deaths of children in Gaza, and how the current Israeli government (Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu) with its idea of Jewish supremacy no longer adheres to the founding principles of a “radiant, luminous, exemplary Zionism […] exemplary because, despite wars, despite blows administered and blows received, it holds fast to Abraham’s commandment: ‘This house that we have built’ should be ‘a house of prayer for all peoples.’”
December 20, 2024
Very good read! Reneges on 50 yrs of Israel/Palestine history with a specific post-Oct 7 emphasis. Details Zionism, the Jewish spirit, and Israel’s fight for survival. Very, very pro Israel but circles back with some foreign policy/Bibi criticism at the end. Pretty fair read, will be recommending to others.
December 14, 2024
Must read for anyone studying the Middle East
Excellent discussion of the history of the region.it rent counter to popular opinions particularly those expressed on most university campuses. This alone wakes it worth reading. Perhaps the strongest section dispenser with the use of the term "genocide" beer referring to the Israelis.
Excellent discussion of the history of the region.it rent counter to popular opinions particularly those expressed on most university campuses. This alone wakes it worth reading. Perhaps the strongest section dispenser with the use of the term "genocide" beer referring to the Israelis.
September 23, 2024
Astonishing. I read it less than 24 hours ago I could not stop.
May 21, 2025
Hieno esseeteoksen ja ajankohtaisen kommentaarin yhdistelmä, lähtökohtana 7. lokauuta 2023, pahin pogromi sitten toisen maailmansodan kauhujen.
January 9, 2026
I’m incredulous. This seemed so out of touch and incredibly blind re: Palestinian suffering. I thought maybe this was published very early on, maybe late 2023 or even early 2024. Given it had been nearly a year since Oct 7, however, I can’t believe the dearth of humanitarian thinking here. I didn’t expect this from BHL, having enjoyed and gained a lot from his writings and musings in my various peace-studies related work. Have I been misreading him the whole time? I’m all for independent thinking and appreciate a devil’s advocate, but book was not even trying to do that; absurd.
September 20, 2024
This short book is well written and thought-provoking with its keen observations of global reactions towards Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 attack by Hamas. Recommended.
June 30, 2025
4.5 stars
October 18, 2025
Truly outstanding. His analysis is spot on. How the world has been brainwashed to hate the Jews is beyond my comprehension.
November 22, 2024
This book was a direct outgrowth of the events of October 7, 2023. Those events have been called by some a Pogram, but barbarous massacre is more appropriate.
BHL is a clear thinking and clear writing philosopher of reality. I recommend this book to broaden your perspective even if you disagree. You can supplement his writing with interviews you can find online. I feel lucky I was able to see him a week or so ago during his recent two week tour of American (and Canadian) universities.
BHL is a clear thinking and clear writing philosopher of reality. I recommend this book to broaden your perspective even if you disagree. You can supplement his writing with interviews you can find online. I feel lucky I was able to see him a week or so ago during his recent two week tour of American (and Canadian) universities.
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