Customer Reviews

Israel: A History

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The history of modern Israel is a search for security and peace -- an elusive, tragic search at best. Martin Gilbert's history can be viewed as slanted toward Israel, but that would miss his point, which is that Israelis have self-consciously wished for and worked for peaceful and fruitful co-existence with their neighbors and with the Palestinians from the beginning. Certainly, there have been grave misdeeds by Israelis (and Arabs) that have resulted in senseless loss of life. But if we go off on that track we will never see what Gilbert's point really means. What both sides would likely acknowledge is that the idea of peaceful coexistence has been more seriously entertained by Israelis than by Arabs -- Palestinian and otherwise. If this book is one-sided then it is so because because Gilbert has revealed this critical asymmetry in a way that has not been made clear before. The book is overflowing with details, anecdotes, portraits and asides that lend it an splendid depth. Yet the author never indulges himself in the sort of speculative forays that might confer color to his work at the expense of careful historical analysis. As a result, there is a critical neutrality toward the facts, with a minimum of bias, emotion or polemic. Perhaps the most emotional part of the book surrounds the events leading up to the assassination of Rabin, a masterful, moving account the whole world should read. Gilbert does not provide an argument for the Labor party or a brief against the Palestinians. Instead, he draws out the tragic dimension of a lost opportunity for peace in a part of the world where peace seems always beyond the pale. In the end, this is a hopeful, though sober and cautious work, and certainly not a book that favors one or the other side. It is a book that should be read by both sides, not with the aim of quibbling about who is represented more favorably, but to see how fragile is the chance for peace and how a knowledge of this brief history of Israel can aid in the efforts to bring about stability and justice for all in this long-suffering part of the world.

Being born in 1966 I grew up constantly hearing and seeing bits and pieces about Israel. This book has connected the dots for me, my view of Israel being permanently altered. The author's maps are many and excellent. At the top of each page he gives the corresponding year of that part of the narrative which I was constantly referring to in this fast moving history.

Make no mistake about it though, the author is pro-Labour and secular Jew, and at best not sympathetic to Likud or the religious Jews. My impression was that his vantage point was standing next to Ben-Gurion and Rabin, while Begin, Netanyahu and the religious Jews were over yonder, almost intruders.

He is very even with the Ashkenazi and Sephardi divide. Great book.

Gilbert notes occasions in which Jewish leaders asked Arabs to remain in their villages (p. 172, for instance), and occasions in which the Arabs were effectively turned out (p. 218, for one). He recounts the efforts of several Arab leaders to induce Arab flight (p. 173, among others).
He graphically depicts the ugliness of the refugee movements (p. 218, etc).
He talks about Israeli looting (p. 220) and the States efforts to stamp it out.
He describes some solid military justifications for forcibly evacuating Arab villages (p. 177, and others).
He reveals the Israeli decisions to appropriate the land of Arab refugees for Jewish settlement(p. 256, etc), Jewish opposition to such measures (same page) and the enormous population pressure of incoming Jewish refugees which made such measures critical (p. 261, among others).
He documents the internal conflicts of the new State, including those within its divided armed forces (p. 211, and others). He shows self-serving division among Israel's Arab neighbors (pp. 241-242, etc).
He chronicles United States support for Israel (p. 445, 460) but also many occasions in which the United States pressured Israel on various issues, including withdrawing from occupied areas and accepting Arab refugees. (pp. 232, 255, 414, 457, 458).
None of the page lists is exhaustive, merely representative.

Gilbert glosses over nothing. He shows both sides of every question. He never tacitly accepts a simple solution to, or explanation for, a complex problem.
It is my opinion, having read the book, that any perception of favoritism toward Israel is actually an uncomfortable awareness (based on well-documented facts) that Israel, for all its mistakes, has been the victim of ingrained hatred and constant aggression, and that her successes have ultimately been the result of the dedication and brilliance of her own people.

Why is it that any history of Israel which does not conclude that Zionism is a crime against human nature is "biased". Even many supporters of Israel regard works that look favorably on the Jewish state as somehow "biased." The reality is that any fair neutral analysis will show Israel in a favorable light and its enemies unfavorably. Martin Gilbert's extensive history is such a book. It is not necessary to re-create the myths of Zionism and to whitewash bad acts of the Israelis in order to conclude that Israel is a just country and one that Americans should support. Gilbert makes no attempt to persuade the reader in this regard. Instead he comprehensively (and sometimes pedantically) lays out the facts and events of history. The book is not biased at all. Gilbert is not gifted at prosaic writing as was the man for whom he is official biographer, Winston Churchill. If you want to read a British historian whose prose resembles Churchill, the author to read is Paul Johnson. But Gilbert is a gifted historian and this book is eminently readable and thus serves as an excellent introduction to and reference guide for Israeli history through the late 90's. Of course recent events beg for a second edition. We will see.

Meticulous chronology of the history of Israel beginning with Herzl's Zionist Movement of the late 19th century up through the present. Gilbert's admiration for the builders and defenders of modern Israel clearly comes through, yet he also does a credible job of explaining the Arab point of view. Gilbert is not shy about letting his anti-terrorist bias come through: whether he's condemning the Menachem Begin led Revisionists attacks against the British (or even against their own Jewish people) or Arab and Israeli attacks and counter-attacks against non-military targets.

My only real criticism is a nitpick. This text is in need of a good editor. There are many awkward and plainly incorrect phrases, as well as outright mistakes. My "favorite" mistake was a reference on page 418 to the American President in 1972, Jimmy Carter. Gee, I was pretty sure Richard Nixon was President in 1972 (and I'll wager that Mr. Gilbert knows that, too)!!! Just to satisfy my curiosity, I even checked the index and found that Carter was cross-referenced to the incident described on page 418.

When all is said and done, I highly recommend this book to readers who want a well researched, single volume history of the state of Israel.

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.

Martin Gilbert does not write small books.

It's a good deal that we have this man around at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and that we can read the large works he gave us in the twentieth.

It's wise to understand what you get when Gilbert fixes his gaze on a man (Churchill), a war (the Second), or a disputed piece of turf and the people who live on it (Israel). You get a writer of eminent capability for working through data, one who knows his mind very well, one who expresses himself with a brilliantly English turn of phrase, and one with whom you won't always agree (evident from some reviews of the book in hand).

Gilbert is deeply sympathetic with the phenomenon and the nation we call Israel. As a man whose ethics run deeper than Realpolitik, he doesn't attempt to justify all that has happened under that Israeli flag or its predecessors, though neither does he shift the burden of proof always to Israeli shoulders. Readers will be wise to supplement Gilbert's work with others more cognizant of Palestinian grievances.

Yet not to read and to appreciate Martin Gilbert's way of doing history - even the history of so contentious a place as Israel - is to remain impoverished and to misunderstand what *can* be learned of Israel as seen through Gilbert's lens.

This book is a dense read, but interested learners will not find it too difficult. It is widely available both used and in discount bookstores. In this reviewer's opinion, you never go wrong in picking up a Gilbert.

I wondered whether or not this book, as long as it is, would hold my attention. It certainly did! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn about the history of modern-day Israel.

The author starts at about 1897 with the "Zionist Movement," and continues through about 1997 and the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin. He quotes frequently from biographies of such persons as Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, and other influential Israelis.

The only beef I had with the book was I wished the author would have gone into more detail on such events as the Israel attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor, the rescue of the hostages in Uganda, and the attempted rescue of the Israel Olympic athletes in 1972.

After reading a history such as this it just astounds me that Israel is still in existence, after (at times) almost the entire world is against it. Surviving five wars in less than 60 years of existence (and ususally outnumbered), it is a vivid testimony to God's preservation of His people. Yes, Israel has made some mistakes (both morally and tactically), but there's not a nation on earth that hasn't. It is also in the unusual position of being the most hated nation on earth.

The book is well written, and seems to have been researched extensively. Again, I couldn't recommend it more for someone wanting to learn of Israel's history.

This is a very readable and informative history of Israel through 1997, and it includes some excellent maps. It does have a point of view, of course, as Gilbert relies heavily on British and liberal Jewish sources. But it does not omit any major elements of the history of the region. Gilbert uses his sources primarily to obtain facts, not opinions.

The book begins with the start of modern Zionism, with the first settlements starting in 1878. But we quickly get through World War One and into the British Mandate period.

Although Gilbert is British, he does not hesitate to describe the infamous British White Paper of 1939, which caused a Jewish revolt that led to the establishment of Israel. Nor does he avoid discussing the ships that tried to run the British blockade in World War Two. And he admits that after the war, in spite of Labour Party promises to make the Mandate a Jewish state, the Labour government instead did the opposite, and became obsessed with the idea of preventing Jews from getting into the Levant.

There is a very good description of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. And a thorough history of Israel from then on. We see Israel grow as a nation. We see wars in which Israeli succeeds on the battlefield only to lose diplomatically. And Gilbert shows exactly what these diplomatic losses mean. They do not mean merely the loss of a few homes or land or money. They mean more war. Each diplomatic loss hurts because it gets the Arabs to attack them once again. And we see how Israeli self-restraint coupled with international demands on Israel for even more restraint generally wind up causing more violence, not less. Gilbert is to be congratulated for showing how this has occurred.

The only weak points of the book are the most recent four years. These deal with the Oslo "peace process." Gilbert, of course, wrote the book before he knew how events would pan out. And he wound up guessing wrong. That caused him to lack perspective on the significance of Arab insincerity at Oslo, or the significance of the assassination of Rabin. For example, when Israel opened a door to a tunnel in the Muslim quarter of the Old City in 1996, Gilbert quite properly puts the actual act in perspective. All it did was improve things for tourists, giving Muslim shopkeepers a benefit. But there were Arab riots. Here, Gilbert, with the perspective we have years later, probably would have seen these riots as provoked only by Arabs. But in this book, he's too close to the situation, and looks for Israeli errors.

This book has few obvious errors. Given how awful some of the more biased histories of Israel can be, this one is a very good place to start.

Gilbert did it again. His style of writing makes a century of history a pleasure to read. Being that the book covers such a large time span, it is difficult to spend enough time on certain events. I feel that he could of elaborated more on momentous points in Israel's history such as Entebbe and the Liberation of Jerusalem. Another point is that Gilbert's bias toward the Labor point of view albeit slight comes through. All in all this is yet another gem in Gilbert's collection of jewels. Enjoy it, I definitely did.