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Israel: A History
 
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Israel: A History (Paperback)

by Martin Gilbert (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 761 pages
  • Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (1 Oct 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0552995452
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552995450
  • Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 4.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 268,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #37 in  Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historians > Gilbert, Martin

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Product Description

Review

'Rich in detail...a grand, heroic narrative.', The Times Literary Supplement .'Martin Gilbert has left us in his debt, not only for a superlative history of Israel, but also for a restatement of the classic vision of Zion, in which a Middle East without guns is not a bedtime story but an imperative long overdue. This is the vision for which Yitzhak Rabin gave his life. This book is tribute to his memory.', Jonathan Sacks, The Times .'Not just an invaluable piece of historical research, it is also a joy to read...Required reading for anyone who wants to understand that most extraordinary and perplexing country.', Jewish Chronicle .'The most comprehensive account of Israeli history yet published.', Efraim Karsh, Sunday Telegraph


Product Description

Israel is a small and relatively young country, but its turbulent history has placed it squarely at the centre of the world stage for most of this century. For two millennia the Jews, dispersed all over the world, prayed for a return to Zion. Until the nineteenth century, that dream seemed a fantasy, but then a secular Zionist movement was born and soon the initial trickle of Jewish immigrants to Palestine turned into a flood as Jews fled persecution in Europe. From these beginnings, Martin Gilbert traces the events and personalities that would lead to the sudden, dramatic declaration of Statehood in May 1948. From that point on, Israel's history has been dominated by conflict: Suez, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanon and the Intifada. Using contemporary documents and eyewitness accounts, drawing on his own intimate knowledge of the country and its people, Martin Gilbert weaves together a seamless, page-turning history of a powerful and proud nation.

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great history book, 1 Feb 2007
By SJ SMART "Smartie" (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This is a greatly detailed and interesting history of the State of Israel (a fascinating coutry) from its earliest origins in the 19th Century with the Zionist pioneers carving out a safe home in the Negev or Gaillee away from persecution, through independence and the various wars to the present day.

Israel has one of the most interesting histories possible and Gilbert has captured in the pages of this great book all the incidents, wars, characters, events, peoples, etc that go to make up any country in a very readable, enjoyable, accessible way.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Israel and the Middle east.
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55 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly presented historical research., 19 Sep 2003
By M. D Roberts (Gwent, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Drawing on his vast experience of this subject Sir Martin Gilbert has documented a superlative history of Israel which is extremely thorough and accurate.

This study surveys in some detail the first 50 years of Israel's history following the nation's re-birth in 1948. The book also tells of the involvement of the nation's pioneers and founders extending back into the latter half of the nineteenth century, together with many stories pertaining to the individuals who contributed to the re-birth of the Jewish state and to it's very survival during the ensuing conflicts.

The book begins with a chapter entitled "Ideals For Statehood" and describes how, since the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70AD, Jews dispersed throughout the World have prayed for a return to Zion. "Next Year in Jerusalem" being the hope expressed at the end of every Passover meal. Later in the book the incredible hostility towards such Zionism is addressed.

The book initially describes the "considerable Jewish activity in Palestine" as the nineteenth century came to an end and extends to the Balfour Declaration and the work towards a Jewish homeland in Palestine that the latter promised. Unfortunately the book lacks any appropriate or real attention to the creation of the state of Transjordan in 1922 and how this affected the eventual rebirth of Israel. An issue where Britain detached 78% of the original area of Mandate Palestine to create another Arab entity in order to satisfy Arab aspirations for independence. This area east of the Jordan was thereafter called Trans-Jordan, and remained legally part of the British Mandate until 1946, when it was declared an independent Arab state, renamed Jordan in 1953. (Jordan then comprising 78% of Mandate Palestine with the vast majority of Jordanians being Palestinians.). The latter, although not discussed in detail here is evident from the contents of the book. Maps illustrating the issue further.

The book on page 37 reveals that the potential of the land following the First World War, (on which fewer than a million people were living on both sides of the Jordan), was regarded as enormous. The reader is shown how less than 10 per cent of the land was actually under cultivation at that time with no Arab needing to be dispossessed, or their rights infringed, for the "Zionists" to make substantial land purchases. The considerable Jewish population already in the land is also mentioned, together with reference to the Arab violence against these Jewish populations even in 1919. Coverage also being given to the increase of this violence through the ensuing decades as Jewish immigration increased with any attempt to reassure or compromise with resident Arabs being rejected. Violence, riots and Arab general strikes described as attempts to stop any influx of Jews to their ancient homeland.

The contents further describing how the rise of Hitler to power in Germany during 1933 affected the situation pertaining to Jewish immigration and the relationship on the ground between Arabs and Jews. The actions of the occupying British forces described as they enforced declared strict quota restrictions on Jewish immigration, even in the face of Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. This whilst illegal Arab immigration from surrounding areas was allowed to proceed unhindered.

The British action restricting immigration by Jewish refugees from Nazi occupied Europe is described as a continuing priority even after the war's end in 1945, with imprisonment being afforded those captured in British "detention camps" on Cyprus. Some 50,000 Jews being imprisoned in this manner. From here the conflict in the land is described in some detail until the declaration of independence by the Jewish State of Israel in May 1948. This is followed by a commendable coverage of the ensuing "War Of Independence" during which surrounding Arab nations sought to eradicate the Jewish State by all military means at their disposal.

The ingathering of Jewish exiles to the newly born Jewish State is documented, as is the Suez conflict and events leading up to the Six Day War in 1967. Continuing acts of violence by Arabs against the Jewish population during these periods are also covered, including the formation in 1964 of the "Palestine Liberation Organisation". Another organisation is described as being formed in 1965, whose leader was Abu Ammar (Yasser Arafat). The group being Fatah, and it's goal the "national liberation of Palestine". All this whilst the Gaza Strip and the "West Bank" were in Arab hands, occupied by the Arab nations of Egypt and Jordan.

Respectable coverage is also given to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, amid the seeming impotence or unwillingness of the UN to intervene, plus the political susceptibility of the World to an Arab oil boycott. A conflict which the book describes as showing the growing independence of Israel upon the USA.

Increasing Palestinian terrorism is described in the context of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon during 1982, again with credible coverage. The study extending to include the Oslo Accords and the present "peace process", together with the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.

Numerous photographs are provided, together with a large selection of maps which are relevant to the major issues surrounding the history of the Jewish state. An invaluable piece of historical research and an excellent addition to anyone's library. I would also recommend reading "From Time Immemorial; Origins of the Jewish-Arab Conflict Over Palestine" by Joan Peters.

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29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Overview Of Israel's History, 14 May 2002
By A Customer
Martin Gilberts book on Israel was my first real reading material on the complex situation in the Middle East and its main player. I found his writing style to be very easy to read and as a result finished off the book quite quickly. He tells the story of Israel with evident passion and also I think a balanced view which is of great importance for such a subject.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading and unbalanced
Whilst well written, Gilbert's book is unashamedly sympathetic to the Zionist vision and fails to balance differing perceptions of the history of Palestine/Israel. Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. A. John

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, insightful, and rigorous
An excellent introduction to Israel's history in this day of make believe accounts about the nation. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Charles Soper

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of the History of Israel.
A great book on the history of Israel. Very well written and easy to read with a lot of great detail. A must for all who want to get a better understanding of Israel.
Published 19 months ago by Peter Stone

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic history book
Martin Gilbert's history of Israel is a great achievement and is a fascinating read. It is hard to put this heavy tome aside because despite its length, it is so well written that... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Michael Thaidigsmann

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate account of a great nation
Never before have I sped so quickly and enjoyably through such a dense history book.
Published on 3 Jun 2007 by Reader

4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive history of Israel from 1862 to 1997
Martin Gilbert, in this comprehensive volume, chronicles the history of the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael), from 1862 to 1997. Read more
Published on 22 May 2007 by Gary Selikow

5.0 out of 5 stars An Immensely Authoritative History
This is a big book - in more senses than one - but it is extremely readable (note: the author is Churchill's official biographer). Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2002 by Mark Squire

5.0 out of 5 stars A balanced history of the phenonmenon that is modern Israel
Martin Gilbert has managed to bring together both a comprehensive and personalised account of what is modern Israel. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2001

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