Flight of the Lavi

Israeli leaders desperately wanted the Lavi. The sleek fighter plane would be the supreme defender of their nation's skies - and it would be built in Israel. What's more, its technology would be supplied, and even bankrolled, by Tel Aviv's staunch ally, the United States. But when the U.S. Department of Defense began to question the wisdom and costs of the enormous project, it was an American Orthodox Jew who lead the investigation. At stake were billions of dollars, Middle East security, national and personal pride, political reputations, and thousands of jobs. For Dov Zakheim, it was a matter of his American patriotism, and in the long run, what was best for Israel. Flight of the Lavi is Dr. Zakheim's enthralling memoir of these critical days. Accompany him inside a high-stakes crisis at the top levels of the U.S. and Israeli governments as he discovers the annual U.S. contribution to the Lavi project - half a billion taxpayer. Dollars - was arranged by the Israeli embassy, senators and representatives, congressional staffs, journalists, and Jewish lobbyists and individuals; learns the program would cost more and deliver less than promised, and engages in pitched battles with powerful Lavi proponents in the United States and Israel; visits Israel and is moved by its people and holy places, at a time when his family is besieged in the United States by Lavi supporters and Israeli leaders brand. Him a traitor; struggles against or works closely with Israeli political leaders, some of whom grew up with his father; seeks to convince Congress of the folly of further Lavi investment; witnesses firsthand the disparate operating styles of Ronald Reagan, Moshe Arens, Yitzchak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Caspar Weinberger, Yitzchak Shamir, Ariel Sharon, George Shultz, and other major players.