Operation: Balaam's mule

By David Mandel

"Operation Balaam's Mule" A Scathing Satire on Propaganda, Power, and Disinformation
Operation Balaam's Mule is a clever and provocative satire that reimagines, in a contemporary key, the famous biblical story of the prophet Balaam - the seer hired to curse the people of Israel, who instead ended up blessing them. Set in a modern universe rife with ideological tensions, the novel uses humor and irony to expose the strategies of the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions), which, under the guise of human rights, seeks to delegitimize Israel through accusations of apartheid, genocide, and other fabricated or exaggerated violations.
The author masterfully employs the technique of the roman clef, a narrative style in which fictional characters represent barely disguised real-life figures, skillfully blending fiction and reality. This allows him to construct a dynamic and recognizable plot, where political satire intertwines with sharp geopolitical analysis. The result is a work that, without losing its playful tone, becomes a critical tool for deciphering the web of ideological, financial, and media interests that fuel campaigns against the Jewish state.
Among the central characters stands out George Tzures, a cynical and manipulative financier who coordinates a sophisticated defamation operation against Israel. Clearly inspired by the controversial tycoon George Soros, Tzures embodies the figure of the philanthropist who, under the rhetoric of global justice, funds campaigns that systematically demonize the only democratic state in the Middle East. Through Tzures, the author reveals how certain actors with economic power and media influence become architects of a biased and dangerous narrative.
Another key figure is Professor Asher Reubeni, a renegade historian and passionate defender of the Palestinian cause, who has made his anti-Zionist crusade the cornerstone of his academic career. Inspired by the controversial scholar Ilan Papp , Reubeni is portrayed as an intellectual who sacrifices historical truth for the sake of ideology. Voluntarily exiled in a gloomy English university, he embodies the betrayal of knowledge and the perversion of academia when it succumbs to militant activism.
But Operation Balaam's Mule does not limit itself to caricaturing a few individuals. Its aim is broader and more ambitious: to expose the entire machinery of delegitimization. The novel reveals how a constellation of activists, international bureaucrats, militant journalists, and postmodern academics orchestrates a disinformation strategy that uses moral outrage as a weapon. This outrage - highly selective and riddled with double standards - seeks to cast Israel as the scapegoat for the world's ills, while remaining silent in the face of real atrocities committed by authoritarian regimes.
The parallel with the biblical story is no coincidence. Just as Balaam ended up pronouncing blessings instead of curses, the novel suggests that the systematic attacks on Israel paradoxically end up strengthening its legitimacy, internal unity, and international support. The irony of the work lies in how attempts to harm Israel ultimately reveal the moral poverty and incoherence of its adversaries.
Satire becomes a form of ethical resistance against the manipulation of discourse and the erosion of facts. It is also a contemporary parable about the dangers of ideological fanaticism and the ease with which lies can disguise themselves as virtue. With its agile pace, memorable characters, and historical-theological backdrop, Operation Balaam's Mule makes us laugh - and think - at the same time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1795044357
• ISBN13: 9781795044356
• Release Date: January 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 154 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"