I’m way behind reviewing the books I’ve read this summer so I’m posting this earlier before our usual Leisure Weekend Reading Review…because Pastors need a break sometimes from heavy theological reading!
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. Harpoon: Inside the Covert War Against International Terrorism’s Money Masters. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group, November 7th 2017. 304 pp.
5 out of 5
Purchase: Amazon
This is a book on Israel’s fight against terror. The preface opens up with the story of the US war on terror of going after key ISIS figures but then Segway to the fact that the US adopted some of the method of the war on Terror from Israel’s own covert war against international terrorism. But this book isn’t primarily focused on military operations (though it has that in the book) but the side of the war that focuses on defeating terrorist networks by going after its funding. This work is a fascinating read!
The title of the book “Harpoon” comes from the name of the organization in Israel’s intelligence community that’s specific mission is to go after terrorist finance. This work doesn’t just talk about Israel’s effort on terrorism but also the means of finance for terrorist organizations. It also paints a sad picture of the corruption of Palestinian authorities which I have read from newspaper before but didn’t understand its extent. For instance the book mentioned that at one point forty three percent of the budge for the Palestine Authority was unaccounted for. Some of these went on to fund terrorist networks and operations. It go so bad that eventually US President Bush severed ties to the PA.
The general readers will be surprised to learn that the author debunked the myth that suicide bombing is a cheap way to fight against Israel; this is a myth you hear from Western media that often paints a narrative of it being a simple way of Palestinians being the David fighting the Goliath of Israel. But it does not stand up to scrutiny. The author explain the logistics for suicide bombing and the vast networks of people behind one attack from those trained in explosives fitting the bomber, the ones housing the bomber and making sure he doesn’t quit the last moment, the trainers for the bombers, the media saavy individuals who produce slick videos interviewing the bombers for propaganda purposes to the financial handlers who reward large compensations to the families of the suicide bombers. The people involved in these network receive salaries. All told there’s a lot of expense for even one terrorist attack; sadly the author pointed out that the cheapest part of a suicide bombing operation is the bomber’s own life. To fund these elaborate suicide bombing missions groups such as Hamas used international charities as a front to smuggle cash and even merchandise that are then sold to finance these terrorist activities. These groups often use the same means of finance as other organized crime such as drug cartels, money launderers, sex trafficking networks, etc. In fact as the book goes on to show these terrorists organizations who at times have an Islamic religious dimension hypocritically engage in these sinful activities of trafficking drugs, people and other vices themselves. Israel’s ingenuity is to go after the terrorists’ means of finance since money is the oxygen that allows terrorism to happen. The book gives various accounts of what Israel’s financial war to choke out the financial resources of terrorist entities such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. At times Harpoon is not only a financial intelligence operation; sometimes it involves others such as military commandoes as in Operation Green Lantern. This book probably gave the most detailed public account of that operation. Other times Israel’s war on finances involves other partnership with other countries such as the United States and even Arab states who secretly cooperates. Fascinating as well is the book’s description of nongovernment relationship of Harpoon such as families of terrorists victims and creative lawyers targeting terrorist group in the legal arena with litigations against terrorist organizations, their financial supporters, governments and even the banks that serve terrorist organizations but willingly choose to look the other way.
A big part of the book is also about the people who fought the financial war against terrorism. Among them is the book’s extensive discussion about Meir Dagan who created Harpoon and who eventually became the director of Israel intelligence agency known as Mossad. Dagan’s creativity and thoughtfulness is described in the book but readers see that it is not just about him but the various government officials and agencies cooperating and sometimes the coalition consists of unlikely agencies. Of course there’s discussion of the political turf battles between organizations and agencies but it is also incredible to see the eventual cooperation between the agencies.
Is Israel’s financial war on terrorism successful? While terrorists will always invent new ways to be devious nevertheless I think the author persuasively made the case that it is. Towards the end of the book you read more and more of Israel’s operation against terrorists and countries supporting terrorism. I thought the story of how during various military conflict in which the IDF was forced to respond militarily Harpoon was also working to cripple the enemy financially; in fact the call for truce by their enemies is often a response to Israel’s disruption of their enemies’ finance and where the Palestinian themselves including terrorist rank and file members complain that the terrorist organization is unable to pay up and causes other financial hardship to the country. I love the story of Israel’s intelligence and military operation against Hamas trying to get money to come in to their territory to pay their terrorists that ended up with an Israeli cobra blowing a Hamas money man. Right after that Hamas called for a ceasefire.
I appreciated the book’s look at the international dimension of the war on terrorists’ financing. The book discusses Operation Pegasus in which Israel worked with the Canadian government legally against the questionable Lebanese Canadian Bank. There’s also a discussion of the US’ “Johnny Come Lately” own effort after 9/11 such as the Terrorist finance tracking program.
The book also talks about recent Israeli’s bold covert action operation such as the Dubai operation that assassinated a Hamas leader heading to liaison with Iran and also some anonymous shadowy targeting of Iranian nuclear project.
This is a fun read, it reads like a real life Tom Clancy novel.
And it sounds very informative as well, Jim! Thanks for the heads up. I’m putting this on my list of “must reads.” 🙂
Nice! It reads like a thriller! I hope you are doing well sister Lynn, how are you doing?
Thank you for asking, Jim! I’m doing well, but am incredibly busy getting my son ( a college junior) ready to return to school 😉 How are you doing? God bless you greatly, my friend!
Wow that makes me think of college days hearing about your son going back to school soon. I’m doing good, the Lord’s been working through our church in various ways and I’m thankful for that. Got to do an emergency unplanned pastoral visitation at the hospital to share the Gospel to the mother of someone that use to go to our church over a decade ago. Always a joy to witness to the lost, it always puts life and ministry in perspective…
I pray the visit went well! God bless you and your ministry, Jim! So glad you are doing well! 🙂 🙂
Sounds very interesting to read
From your nasty comment I can tell you’re a narcissistic troll who harass others and stalk them just because you don’t agree with them.
Sounds great, Jim! I’ll keep my eye on it!
Great! Going tangent to another book (the apologetics’ one) of our previous discussion, amazon is asking me for your phone number to be delivered to you; can you email me that?
Sure thing!
Reblogged this on Thoughts on culture, politics and more.
Thanks for the reblog!
ooooh—Jim, this sounds like I need to add it to my list!!!
I think you will enjoy it! I have a book to review that Lord willing I will post sometime this weekend that was prompted by your TN trip! We’ll see if I finish it first though lol
🤓
Thanks for the good review! Most of us aren’t aware of how terrorism is being fought on multiple levels. I appreciate the review because books about financial chicanery (like at the Vatican Bank) make my eyes glass over. 🙂
Books about financial intelligence and investigations operations is one thing and it can be interesting but actual accounting records and books of raw data and figure is another…I would have my eyes glass over too! Good night for now, just finished writing a long post…
Yeah, I’ve tried reading a few books about the corruption within the Vatican bank but the minute financial details become overwhelming. Have a blessed Friday! BTW, we see in the news how CA is getting hit hard by fires. Anything significant in your area?
There’s various fires here in California; the air has been rather bad from all of it and every morning I find ashes all over the car.
Also during sunset it looks a bit apocalyptic. Fortunately though we are safe and far away from the fires though the fires are so big those effects I mentioned are with us. Thank you for being aware and asking! How’s the weather at your neck of the woods?
Glad you’re not affected in a major way! It’s been a very hot summer for up here – only a decade ago we could expect 4 or 5 90+ degree days per summer, but we’re already triple that.
I never really thought about that part of the war on terrorism
Seems sometimes to stop the terrorist fruit you gotta go after the terrorist’s financial root…kind of adapated that analogy from Psalm 1…a bit out of context of course
Maybe, but that’s okay!
[…] recently read and reviewed a book titled “Harpoon: Inside the Covert War Against International Terrorism’s Money Masters.” It is a fascinating book on Israel’s fight against terrorism but in ways most […]