Massacre in Munich: The Manhunt for the Killers Behind the 1972 Olympics Massacre by Michael Bar-Zohar

Massacre in Munich: The Manhunt for the Killers Behind the 1972 Olympics Massacre Reviews

• 
  Todd N

  I had no idea about this but way back before our current post-racial society the Arabs and Jews in the Middle East didn't get along. It was like that cartoon with the wolf and the sheepdog except the lunch whistle never, ever blew.
  
  This book covers the struggle between Arabs and Jews from later part of the British occupation in the twenties and thirties through the late seventies. It focuses on two leaders on the Arab side and the efforts of Israel to hunt down and eventually kill them. They are Hassan Salameh and Ali Hassan Salameh, a father and son who were active at different times.
  
  Ali Hassan Salemeh is the titular Red Prince and the main story of the book. His dad's story is a convenient way to quickly run through the history of the conflict and to rack up some bodies on both sides.
  
  The two authors are Israelis and had "access to the highest levels of Mossad," which anyone could have probably figured out without reading the back cover of the book because of the strong pro-Israel bias throughout the book. The only positive trait ever ascribed to an Arab in this book is being smart, as in crafty. And one of the Arab women is described as beautiful -- one of the few Arabs women to even get a name in this book.
  
  And these guys certainly weren't chosen for their ability to write -- there are a lot of "nervous eyes" following people around the room and the occasional poignant bottle of unopened champagne. My system is still processing all of the adjectives.
  
  Okay, so these guys are probably Mossad, not crazy about Arabs, and write about as well as your average mommy blogger. I didn't care about any of that because of all the bad ass spy stories jammed into this book. Everything explodes in this book: cars, buildings, telephone stands, even books! The Arabs were quite a bit less dainty about collateral damage -- not a lot of progress has been made in this area, apparently -- but when it's spy vs. spy or spy vs. secret-wing-of-the-PLO the spycraft and action is just fascinating.
  
  A few things I learned, though the odds that I'll corroborate it with a more objective source are pretty slim:
  - The British were total jerks to the Jews before they left. What's up with that?
  - I had no idea about the connection between the Nazis and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem at the time.
  - A plot to poison everyone in Tel Aviv is mentioned pretty casually. I want to know what happened to all of the poison. And why didn't people flip out when it was revealed that Germany provided the materials and support? I mean, that's crazy stuff like the Romans might do.
  - It was mentioned that the terrorists had a few Germans and British deserters as military advisors hanging around headquarters. That must have been awkward at meal times.
  - I was surprised at how secular the PLO and Black September's ideology was. Especially in the early days it had sort of a Marxist vibe to it. I guess any justification these guys can think up will work in a pinch, whether it's class struggle or fundamentalism.
  
  If you've read Vengance and liked it, as I did, then you'll enjoy this book.
  
• 
  Ann

  An intense book covering a tragic story. I remember watching the Olympics the day the news of this terrible massacre came over the news. Truly only the Prince of Peace can bring peace to this troubled region of our world.
• 
  Susan

  After reading "Vengeance", I learned about Ali Hassan Salameh and became interested in the person supposedly behind the 1972 Olympic massacre in Munich. Unlike today's terrorists, Salameh was secular and didn't advocate for a fundamentalist Middle East. He was ruthless and violent, but started life out quite differently. This story traces his evolution from a normal, intellectual, young adult in the Middle East to the most sought after terrorist in the 1970s. Like "Vengeance", one learns more about the background of the problems today in the Middle East from this book and wonders if we weren't better off back in the 1970s when a hijacking usually just meant a free trip to another country with ultimately a safe return to one's home country.
• 
  Hannah

  This was a difficult book to read because of the content, but it was well-written, balanced, and very informative.
• 
  Royce Ratterman

  An interesting snapshot into a small portion of the history related to Palestinian terrorism and the land of Israel/Judea.
  I found this work compelling. The compilation of historical accounts are of interest for the researcher and enthusiast.
  Read for personal research. Overall, a good book.
  I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.
• 
  Alain DeWitt

  A surprisingly gripping read about the Israelis exhaustive efforts to hunt down Ali Hassan Salameh. Dove-tailed nicely with my reviewing of 'Munich'.
• 
  Jason

  Good book, but dragged on a little.