An Improbable Friendship: The Remarkable Lives of Israeli Ruth Dayan and Palestinian Raymonda Tawil and Their Forty-Year Peace Mission

by Anthony David

Overview

A True Story of Friendship and Faith in the Face of Insurmountable Hatred

An Improbable Friendship is the dual biography of Israeli Ruth Dayan, now over one hundred, who was Moshe Dayan's wife for thirty-seven years, and Palestinian journalist Raymonda Tawil, Yasser Arafat's mother-in-law, now seventy-eight. It reveals for the first time the two women’s surprising and secret forty-year friendship and delivers the story of their extraordinary and turbulent lives growing up in a war-torn country.

Based on personal interviews, diaries, and journals drawn from both women—Ruth lives today in Tel Aviv, Raymonda in Malta—author Anthony David delivers a fast-paced, fascinating narrative that is a beautiful story of reconciliation and hope in a climate of endless conflict. By experiencing their stories and following their budding relationship, which began after the Six-Day War in 1967, we learn the behind-the-scenes, undisclosed history of the Middle East's most influential leaders from two prominent women on either side of the ongoing conflict.

An award-winning biographer and historian, Anthony David brings us the story of unexpected friendship while he discovers the true pasts of two outstanding women. Their story gives voice to Israelis and Palestinians caught in the Middle East conflict and holds a persistent faith in a future of peace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948924177
Publisher:	Arcade
Publication date:	03/19/2019
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Anthony David has written eight books, including his collaboration with Palestinian leader Sari Nusseibeh on his autobiography, Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life, voted one of the best books of the year by the Christian Science Monitor and Amazon and awarded the biennial 2010 Siegfried Unseld Prize presented by Suhrkamp; Lamentations of Youth: The Diaries of Gershom Scholem 1913–1923; and the forthcoming The Letters of Hannah Arendt and Gershom Scholem. He holds a PhD in European history from the University of Chicago and currently lives in Jerusalem.

Editorial Reviews

With its fascinating details about the relationship between Moshe Dayan’s wife and Yasser Arafat’s mother-in-law, An Improbable Friendship reminds us of a bygone era when influential Palestinians and Israelis worked together for peace.”—Trudy Rubin, Worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer
 
“There are many powerful men in this riveting book—Moshe Dayan, Yasser Arafat, Ezer Weizman, among others—and enough intrigue, violence, and danger to fill a thriller. But the two suns at the center of this illuminating dual biography are women—brilliant, passionate, driven feminists whose unique friendship should serve as a model for international relations and people-to-people dialogue. Without downplaying their political, cultural, and religious differences, Anthony David deftly describes what fuels the enduring relationship between Ruth Dayan and Raymonda Tawil—their capacity to honor the dignity and aspirations of the other and their indefatigable quest for peace. Had Ruth and Raymonda been in charge, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have ended four decades ago. Think about that as you dive into this compelling story.”—Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate and founding editor of Ms. magazine
 
“To someone like me who has been deeply involved in pursuing peace between Israelis and Palestinians for fifty years, this book reveals unexpected nuggets of gold in describing the unlikely friendship between the much older Ruth Dayan and the fearless beauty, Raymonda Tawil. This untold story through the eyes of two extraordinary women, both feminists, pursuers of peace who never gave up, is a compelling read. Especially riveting is the account of their respective daughters, Yael Dayan, writer and activist, and Suha Tawil, widow of Yasser Arafat. It’s a revelation.”—Lilly Rivlin, filmmaker and longtime peace activist
 
“Anthony David transports readers across the divide. It’s a well-written book about empathy, hinting at possibilities for peace.”—Jewish Week
 
“Rich in anecdote and juicy detail, this book demonstrates Dayan’s and Tawil’s creativity, conviction, and courage, offering personal glimpses into major historical events.”—Lilith magazine
 
“From their relationship we learn the behind-the-scenes history of the Middle East.”—Jewish Advocate
 
“A vivid portrait of two very feisty women.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Perhaps their story never inspired a greater closeness between their two peoples as they once hoped it might. But it still stands after all these years as a testament to our human capacity to reach out to one another even in the darkest times.”— Kevin Connolly, BBC

From the Publisher

07/27/2015
If it hadn’t actually occurred, the friendship between Ruth Dayan (born 1917), the first wife of Israeli politician Moshe Dayan, and Raymonda Tawil (born 1940), the mother-in-law of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, would seem not merely improbable but impossible. This joint biography from David (coauthor of Once Upon a Country) traces the women’s lives prior to 1970, the year of their meeting, and the collaboration that followed, one peppered with “standard quarrels” but forged by a mutual commitment to peace. In addition to noting the preeminence of politics in Dayan and Tawil’s lives, David opens up their personal lives: their childhoods, their children, their travails (Dayan’s divorce, Tawil’s house arrest), and their enterprises (Dayan’s Maskit, a craft and design collective employing immigrant women; Tawil’s news agency). David, who wrote the book at the women’s request, had access to Dayan’s many cassette tapes and letters and to Tawil’s diary, along with the many interviews he’s conducted with them since 2009. At times, the biography has an “as told by” tone; in other sections, a novelistic tone creeps in, obscuring the difference between recreated conversation and recorded interviews. Some readers may find the admiring tone overly lacking in objectivity and critical distance, but David has succeeded in creating a vivid portrait of two very feisty women. 20 b&w photos. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2015
The 1940s are dominated in the global memory by one major event: World War II. Yet during that same period, another struggle was coming to a head. David (coauthor, Once upon a Country) recounts the history of two families on opposite sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict and illustrates that while emotions run high, unbreakable bonds of friendship and love can be formed. Ruth Dayan was a young woman married to a fierce Jewish fighter; Raymonda Tawil was the daughter of a wealthy Arab dignitary. Both women's lives were changed when revolution came to their homes, and with the tantalizing pacing of a thriller and the unaffected emotion of a memoir, David draws out the family history and eventual friendship of the women whose loyalties fall on opposite sides of the conflict. The result illuminates the realities of being a human being in a struggle between cultures. This heartfelt book captures the turmoil of the Ruth's and Raymonda's interactions with their families, their nations, and with each other—but it also shows their strength, vitality, and capacity for love. VERDICT Whether one has an interest in Middle Eastern politics, a solid human interest story, or a general appreciation of humanity, this book will hold the attention of its audience. An emotional and inquisitive read that covers global and personal history with panache and passion.—Kathleen Dupré, Edmond, OK

Library Journal