Paul McGeough: Kill Khalid. Allen & Unwin, 2009. ISBN: 9781741756005. Online
Paul McGeough is known to readers of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age for his detailed articles about events in Afghanistan and Iraq. His book is a thoroughly researched account of Mossad's assassination attempt in 1997 on Khalid Mishal, the prominent member of Hamas. McGeough uses this event to take the reader through the complex and evolving politics of the Palestinians and their neighbours in Israel and Jordan.
McGeough has interviewed many people involved in those events as well as researched the history and politics of this troubled area. The book is quite long (417 pages). It is sometimes demanding, but McGeough's journalist background ensures that the writing is not too dense.
In 1997, Hamas was relatively new and Khalid largely unknown outside the region. Since then, Hamas has grown to become the political opposition to Fatah, the Palestinian party of Yasser Arafat. Hamas is the main protagonist against Israel and Khalid one of its leaders.
This book shows how the then new Israeli prime minister, Netanayu, agreed to Mossad's plan to kill Khalid and to remove his influence Hamas. The attack failed spectacularly and the consequences were incalculable.
Middle East politics is complex and changing. But since the creation of Israel in 1948, a constant factor has been the situation of the Palestinians. An old joke goes that if you understand Middle East politics, then it has not been explained properly. McGeough places events in their historical and political context and thereby gives the reader a grasp of the complexities and subtleties of regional politics.
He also describes the growing influence of Islam in politics. This has led to conflict between Arab countries and leaders independent of their perceptions of Israel. The book illustrates just why the conflict, with its religious and political dimensions, is so difficult to resolve to the satisfaction of all players.
McGeough offers a valuable list of characters at the start of his work. This helps readers unfamiliar with names and the historical detail. Parts of the story read like an episode of Spooks, but this story is factual. The book is very topical in the light of Netanyahu's return to power in Israel, the rise of Hamas in Gaza and the recent conflict there.
Kerry