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The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force
 
 
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The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force (Hardcover)

by Martin L. Van Creveld (Author), Martin Van Creveld (Author) "AT THE BEGINNING of the period covered by this part, the first Jewish self-defense groups, consisting of a few dozen loosely organized, inexperienced, and ill-armed..." (more)
Key Phrases: prestate days, artillery barrels, armored doctrine, Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv, World War (more...)
3.6 out of 5 stars  (14 customer reviews)


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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Renowned defense expert Martin Van Creveld (author of Command in War) offers a comprehensive 20th-century military history of Israel, starting in 1907 with the organization of Jewish settler groups and concluding with the modern day. Much of the focus is on the Israeli Defense Force's glory years, roughly the quarter century from when Israel secured its independence in 1949, through the Six-Day War against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria (and their Soviet advisors) in 1967, to the October War against Egypt and Syria in 1973. Despite being massively outnumbered, Israel won smashing victories each time--and allowed many experts to claim that man for man, no army in the world was tougher than the one Israel put in the field. Van Creveld (himself an Israeli) celebrates these accomplishments, but is extremely critical of what has happened since: He compares Israel's bungled invasion of Lebanon in 1982 to the American experience in the Vietnam War and cites the Israeli military's various shortcomings in confronting the Palestinian Intifada. Morale in the armed forces is now at a low point, writes van Creveld, who disturbingly suggests that his country's apparent military invincibility may be a thing of the past. Whatever one thinks of this claim, few can doubt that The Sword and the Olive is an inspiring portrayal of courage and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. --John J. Miller

Book Description
A complete history of one of the world's most admired-and most mythologized-fighting forces. AUTHOR COMMENT: "He who fights the weak will end up by becoming weak. He who, fighting the weak, behaves like a coward, will end up by turning into one. This is the central message of The Sword and the Olive; and one which, while using the Israeli Army as its case in point, also applies to the other armed forces of this world and, indeed, to human life in general. . . . This book then, takes a fresh look at the factors which will make men (and women, since Israel is the only country in history to conscript them for military service) either want to or refuse to fight. At the same time, it tells the story of one of the twentieth century's best known, and most admired, armed forces."

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Product Details
  • Hardcover: 422 pages
  • Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1st ed edition (September 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1891620053
  • ISBN-13: 978-1891620058
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,454,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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  • Also Available in: Paperback (Bargain Price) |  Paperback (1st) |  All Editions