Review: The London Review of Books, Volume 40, No. 17, 17 September 2018,
Pages 15-18
By Geoffrey Wheatcroft
Pages 15-18
By Geoffrey Wheatcroft
"After the brief and futile interlude of James Callaghan’s premiership, a new Tory prime minister entered Downing Street in May 1979. Almost thirty years before, at the 1950 general election, a 24-year-old research chemist by the name of Margaret Roberts had stood unsuccessfully for Parliament. By now called Margaret Thatcher, she was elected MP for Finchley in 1959: The first chapter of Azriel Bermant’s outstandingly valuable Margaret Thatcher and the Middle East is titled ‘Thatcher and the “Finchley Factor”’. Like Churchill’s Manchester seat, this outer suburb of North London had a large Jewish population, not universally loved by the local Tories. Thatcher was selected as a candidate thanks to one prejudice trumping another in the local Conservative Association: she might be a woman, but at least she wasn’t a Jew.
Review: International Affairs, Volume 94, Issue 4, 1 July 2018, Pages 945–946
By Luke Gibbon
By Luke Gibbon
"Bermant's evidence is compelling and his storytelling crisp, often leavened by some well-chosen photographs. He has trawled both official and private archives in Israel and the UK and supplements his findings with interviews he conducted with senior officials, including Charles Powell. The result is a major contribution to a growing body of work which gives a more nuanced and complex account of the relationship between Thatcher, the FCO and British policy overseas."
"A key value of Bermant’s account derives from his careful reading not only of the official British archives, but also those of the Israeli governments of the time. He shows how each twist and turn in the British government’s efforts to find a route to resolve the conflict was interpreted in Israel."
..."In this meticulously detailed account, Azriel Bermant comprehensively demolishes the myth that Margaret Thatcher was always more sympathetic towards Israel than senior figures in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), many of whom were Arabists...
In sum, this is a persuasive and bold account, one built upon admirable archival research and historical knowledge, and which greatly adds to our understanding of British foreign policy and the Thatcher era as they pertain to the Middle East. Its tone is admirably measured. The value is in the detail and the substantial evidence provided on certain specifics."
..."In this meticulously detailed account, Azriel Bermant comprehensively demolishes the myth that Margaret Thatcher was always more sympathetic towards Israel than senior figures in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), many of whom were Arabists...
In sum, this is a persuasive and bold account, one built upon admirable archival research and historical knowledge, and which greatly adds to our understanding of British foreign policy and the Thatcher era as they pertain to the Middle East. Its tone is admirably measured. The value is in the detail and the substantial evidence provided on certain specifics."
Times Literary Supplement - by WM. Roger Louis, Published July 11, 2017
"Two significant points emerge from Bermant's valuable account that were important for the broader region of the Middle East as well as for Israel."
..."The British faced the annual problem of the Balfour Declaration's anniversary. Thatcher had to give reassurances that the British government would not "downgrade" the Declaration. But the real problem was that Arab leaders and populations had long memories, and continued to hold Britain responsible for the creation of the Jewish state.
The other point, at the end of Thatcher's tenure of office, is about the part she played in steadying the American response to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990."
The other point, at the end of Thatcher's tenure of office, is about the part she played in steadying the American response to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990."
The Jerusalem Post - By Seth J. Frantzman - Published January 13, 2017
Books: The Iron Lady and the Jewish state
"Bermant brings an incisive analysis to Thatcher's relations with Israel"
..."The fascinating aspect of Bermant's book is not only that it shows the level of British entanglement in the Middle East, but reveals the numerous peace plans launched in the period that have direct parallels with today. Reagan's administration argued for a "settlement freeze" and a self-governing Palestinian Authority with full autonomy. King Hussein put forth the Amman accord in 1985 seeing self-determination for the Palestinians and an Israeli withdrawal. When Thatcher proposed municipal elections in the West Bank in 1986 she was rebuffed by Yizhak Rabin. In 1988, cabinet minister David Mellor visited Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp and found "misery on a scale that rivals anything in the world."
THE JC - By Robert Philpot - Published November 11, 2016
"Well-written, meticulously researched book"
..."Nor did it escape Jerusalem’s notice that, on her watch, restrictions were imposed on arms sales to Israel, even as Britain hawked its mili tary wares to Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. As Bermant convincingly argues, the strategic importance of bolstering Britain’s moderate allies and, especially in the wake of the invasion of Afghanistan, fending off Soviet expansionism in the region, often outweighed the fear of upsetting the Israeli government or the Jewish community."
..."Nor did it escape Jerusalem’s notice that, on her watch, restrictions were imposed on arms sales to Israel, even as Britain hawked its mili tary wares to Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. As Bermant convincingly argues, the strategic importance of bolstering Britain’s moderate allies and, especially in the wake of the invasion of Afghanistan, fending off Soviet expansionism in the region, often outweighed the fear of upsetting the Israeli government or the Jewish community."