‘Israel’ Author Replies

Your reviewer Benny Morris has many gracious and complimentary words for “Israel Undercover: Secret Warfare and Hidden Diplomacy in the Middle East” (The Book Review, Oct. 18). However, Morris makes a point regarding the book’s “conspiracy theory assumptions” with which I must disagree. I fear that he has attributed to me the conspiracy theory assumptions held by many Mideast players, which are presented in my book. I devote an entire chapter to highlighting the attachment many of the region’s respected leaders have for conspiratorial explanations of Middle Eastern events, but I point out that to most of us, these theories appear rather outlandish. As the chapter illustrates, this predilection for conspiratorial explanations makes the Middle East all the more puzzling, and intriguing, to the Western eye.

STEVE POSNER

Santa Monica