Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman, 753 pages.

Bergman, a correspondent for the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, presents a detailed, and well-indexed history of the Israeli government's evolving program of assassinations. Targets have varied over the years from very specific individuals, with layers of approval necessary, to the "Grass Widow" method that at times seems like "anyone within a given area with a gun is a target."
It was amazing to see how many future Prime Ministers were involved in the various incarnations of these programs, from Menachem Begin as commander of the Irgun, to former paratrooper Ariel Sharon as IDF commander, and then Defense Minister, to Yitzhak Rabin as defense minister.
From letter bombs (which almost never worked), to the failed tracking a terrorist to Oslo which resulted in the  gunning down the wrong man, to the carefully planned, but almost comically botched poisoning of Khaled Mashal in Jordan right outside of the Hamas offices, the Mossad and Shin Bet were not always as successful as their reputation would indicate.
The more recent methods involving computers, drones, decoys, and shooting blinds seem to be more effective and have a quicker response time, but the morality is perhaps even murkier. This interesting, and provocative book raises many questions.