Brotherhood of warriors : behind enemy lines with a commando in one of the world's most elite counterterrorism units

At the age of 18, Beverly Hills native Aaron Cohen left his life of comfort to prove himself in the crucible of the armed forces - and not just any armed forces. He was determined to be a part of Israel's most elite security forces - the equivalent of our the US Navy SEALS and UK SAS. He was offered the only post a non-Israeli can hold: in a top-secret, highly controversial unit which dispatches operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to abduct Hamas leaders and bring them to Israel for trial.Between 1997 and 2000, Aaron Cohen would learn flawless Hebrew and conversational Arabic, lose any semblance of his all-American-90210 appearance, and participate in over 200 life or death missions, including: disguised as a Palestinian guest, he and his team crash the wedding of a Hamas leader's daughter, wrestle the enemy to the ground and steal him away for trial; posing as an American journalist to set a trap for one of the financiers behind the Dizengoff Massacre, taking him down in a brutal, hand-to-hand fight; and, pulling the dead and dying from the rubble of a shopping mall, the target of a suicide bomber who detonated a nail bomb. At the age of eighteen, Aaron Cohen left Beverly Hills to prove himself in the crucible of the armed forces. He was determined to be a part of Israel's most elite security cadre, akin to the American Green Berets and Navy SEALs. After fifteen months of grueling training designed to break down each individual man and to rebuild him as a warrior, Cohen was offered the only post a non-Israeli can hold in the special forces. In 1996 he joined a top-secret, highly controversial unit that dispatches operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to abduct terrorist leaders and bring them to Israel for interrogation and trial.Between 1996 and 1998, Aaron Cohen would learn Hebrew and Arabic; become an expert in urban counterterror warfare, the martial art of Krav Maga, and undercover operations; and participate in dozens of life-or-death missions. He would infiltrate a Hamas wedding to seize a wanted terrorist and pose as an American journalist to set a trap for one of the financiers behind the Dizengoff Massacre, taking him down in a brutal, hand-to-hand struggle. A propulsive, gripping read, Cohen's story is a rare, fly-on-the-wall view into the shadowy world of "black ops" that redefines invincible strength, true danger, and inviolable security. Title Page 3 Dedication Page 4 Epigraph Page 5 Contents 7 The Dizengoff Massacre 11 Part One 29 Chapter One 31 Chapter Two 39 Chapter Three 55 Chapter Four 63 Chapter Five 69 Chapter Six 77 Chapter Seven 87 Part Two 97 Chapter Eight 99 Chapter Nine 111 Chapter Ten 119 Chapter Eleven 125 Photographic Insert 129 Chapter Twelve 141 Chapter Thirteen 147 Chapter Fourteen 157 Chapter Fifteen 163 Chapter Sixteen 181 Part Three 191 Chapter Seventeen 193 Chapter Eighteen 201 Chapter Nineteen 209 Chapter Twenty 231 Chapter Twenty-One 241 Part Four 249 Chapter Twenty-Two 251 Chapter Twenty-Three 261 Chapter Twenty-Four 269 Chapter Twenty-Five 283 Los Angeles 2007 289 Acknowledgments 292 About the Authors 294 Credits 295 Copyright Notice 296 About the Publisher 297 Documents The Author's Choice To Leave His Privileged Life In Beverly Hills To Become A Member Of Israel's Most Elite Security Force, For Which He Became An Expert In Urban Counterterror Warfare And Participated In More Than Two Hundred Life-or-death Missions. Aaron Cohen And Douglas Century.