About Israel's loneliness on the world political scene after October 7, 2023, writes Franco-Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy in his new book "Solitude of Israel" (ed. Grasset 2024), which was released in French in the spring, while its English version, titled "Israel Alone", due in the US in September 2024.
Well-known thinker, activist, writer, director, through his frequent television appearances, his column in the magazine Le Point, and his public positions, Bernard-Henri Lévy, in his 50-year career, has established himself as one of the most powerful and more valid voices in favor of Israel.
On October 7, 2023 he was at his home in Paris, and the next day he "flew" to Israel. On the evening of October 8 he traveled to Southern Israel, first arriving in Sderot and in the following days he visited all the sites of the Hamas attacks, the kibbutzim and the site of the Nova festival.
"I was terribly shocked by everything I saw," he says in an interview with the Times of Israel. "Wherever you looked you saw the signs of brutality. I promised the survivors of Kfar Azza and Beeri, the families of the hostages, and my Israeli friends that I would write about the horrors they had just endured."
He kept his promise with the publication of the book Solitude d'Israel, which was released in France six months after the October 7 massacre.
The book—divided into three parts: "October 7th and Beyond," "Denial in Real Time" and "History and Truth"—is a combination of reportage, reflections and recollections, an incessant flow of thoughts, and an impassioned appeal by BHL to the context informative analysis of Israel's post-October 7 loneliness and its impact on Diaspora Jewry.
He explains why the Gaza war is existential for Israel and what is at stake for the rest of the world, especially the West, while refuting false accusations against Israel.
B.H. Lévy dedicates "Solitude d'Israel" to those still held hostage by Hamas at the time of the book's writing, whom he even lists alphabetically.
Announcing the English version of his book, BHL wrote features on his account at Χ: “Now more than ever, we must ensure that Israel does NOT stand alone against Iran. This brave country is facing a multi-front war, which is actually our common struggle."
