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1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War Paperback – March 23, 2009

by Benny Morris (Author)

4.6 278 ratings

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Benny Morris demolishes misconceptions and provides a comprehensive history of the Israeli-Arab war of 1948

This history of the foundational war in the Arab-Israeli conflict is groundbreaking, objective, and deeply revisionist. A riveting account of the military engagements, it also focuses on the war's political dimensions. Benny Morris probes the motives and aims of the protagonists on the basis of newly opened Israeli and Western documentation. The Arab side—where the archives are still closed—is illuminated with the help of intelligence and diplomatic materials.

Morris stresses the jihadi character of the two-stage Arab assault on the Jewish community in Palestine. Throughout, he examines the dialectic between the war's military and political developments and highlights the military impetus in the creation of the refugee problem, which was a by-product of the disintegration of Palestinian Arab society. The book thoroughly investigates the role of the Great Powers—Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union—in shaping the conflict and its tentative termination in 1949. Morris looks both at high politics and general staff decision-making processes and at the nitty-gritty of combat in the successive battles that resulted in the emergence of the State of Israel and the humiliation of the Arab world, a humiliation that underlies the continued Arab antagonism toward Israel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A commanding, superbly documented, and fair-minded study of the events that, in the wake of the Holocaust, gave a sovereign home to one people and dispossessed another. . . . What is so striking about Morris's work as a historian is that it does not flatter anyone's prejudices, least of all his own."―David Remnick, New Yorker

"Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly, evenhandedly and exhaustively. . . . An authoritative and fair-minded account of an epochal and volatile event. He has reconstructed that event with scrupulous exactitude."―David Margolick, New York Times Book Review

"Morris's account seems admirable, because he is unafraid of upsetting both camps. . . . His commitment to the pursuit of historical truth deserves as much admiration as his dismay at Arab intransigence commands sympathy. . . . Morris's book is no mere military narrative, but a crisp, vivid introduction to the historical tragedy of Palestine."—Max Hastings, Sunday Times

"When it comes to interpreting the history they shared in 1947-49, Arabs and Israelis subscribe to two radically different narratives. . . . One of the many achievements of this admirable book is to help readers understand why each narrative commands such authority and why they remain so stubbornly irreconcilable."―Andrew Bacevich, Boston Globe

"An ambitious, detailed and engaging portrait of the war itself—from its origins to its unresolved aftermath—that further shatters myths on both sides of the Israeli-Arab divide."—Glenn Frankel, Washington Post Book World

"Morris, born in 1948, is among a group of Israeli 'new historians,' whose work has challenged the traditional, accepted line of the birth of Israel. In this well-researched book, he strives for balance."―Billy Heller, New York Post (Required Reading)

"Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly, evenhandedly and exhaustively. . . . An authoritative and fair-minded account of an epochal and volatile event."―David Margolick, New York Times Book Review

"Morris's account seems admirable, because he is unafraid of upsetting both camps. . . . His commitment to the pursuit of historical truth deserves as much admiration as his dismay at Arab intransigence commands sympathy."—Max Hastings, Sunday Times

Selected as one of the best books of 2008 by the Washington Post in the World category

"Morris offers a study of Israel's war of independence, effectively debunking many of the myths surrounding it. . . . He meticulously documents the expulsions and atrocities that occurred on both sides. His work demonstrates that passion, not polemic, about this controversial era leads to good history. Recommended for all libraries."―Library Journal

"Morris' . . . new book, impeccably timed to coincide with our 60th anniversary, is notable for its insistence that the religious dimension of Arab opposition to Jewish sovereignty, the rejection of Israel as an 'infidel' and 'alien' presence, was overwhelming from the earliest days of the struggle for statehood—and was underestimated by Israel's leaders from the earliest days, too."—David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post

"Likely to become the most definitive study of the first Arab-Israeli war. On each and every facet of the conflict―military strategy, human rights abuses, the refugee crisis, diplomacy, and propaganda―it is an extraordinary tour de force."―Shlomo Ben-Ami, Foreign Affairs

"A richly detailed and thoroughly researched primer on the first great Mideast war, as well as on the essential reasons why the Israeli-Palestinian standoff remains so intractable. A compelling 'aha' book, 1948 brings order to complex, little-understood subjects . . . with [Morris'] vivid narrative prose and masterly analysis."―David Holahan, The Hartford Courant

"A considerable achievement, meticulously detailing and analyzing both Israel's war of Independence, on the one hand, and its mirror Palestinian face: the Catastrophe (al nakba), on the other. For those who can handle often-uncomfortable facts, this volume is a must read. . . . A courageous narrative."―Michael Bell, Toronto Globe and Mail

"Magisterial. . . . A densely researched, richly textured, nuanced book brimming with discerning analysis and telling details. . . . It will be mandatory reading for the foreseeable future."―Sheldon Kirshner, Canadian Jewish News

"Readers can do no better that to go to a new authoritative source about the beginnings of the Israeli state, Benny Morris' 1948."―Jonathan S. Tobin, The Jewish Exponent

"As [Israel] celebrates six decades of reborn existence on May 14 and books about it cascade into stores, the most important among them [is] Benny Morris's 1948."―Carlin Romano, The Chronicle Review

"A compelling 'aha' book, 1948 brings order to complex, little-understood subjects . . . with [Morris'] vivid narrative prose and masterly analysis."―David Holahan, The Hartford Courant

"A considerable achievement, meticulously detailing and analyzing both Israel's war of Independence, on the one hand, and its mirror Palestinian face: the Catastrophe (al nakba), on the other."―Michael Bell, Toronto Globe and Mail

"1948 is dispassionate in its tone, meticulous in its research, patient in its pace, and comprehensive in its scope. . . . Benny Morris's history furnishes a compelling view of the origins of a conflict still very much with us. . . . This book also offers a eloquent recovery of some political truths about the Middle East that have grown lamentable obscure."―Benjamin Balint, Claremont Review of Books

"First-rate. . . . The account is a military history of the highest order, its prose taut and restrained, resulting in a gripping and dramatic narrative."―Sheldon Horowitz, Hadassah

"Brilliantly conceived, brilliantly written, brilliantly expressive."―Jewish Book World

"1948 is a superb attempt to provide a reasoned assessment of a very contentious period. It is well worth study by anyone seeking to understand the Middle East that this war helped create."―Col. Jonathan M. House, Military Review

"Readers interested in military strategy and tactics will appreciate the book's comprehensiveness on this score, while others will be drawn in by the sheer drama of the war, with its interweaving of military and political action, told clearly and swiftly."―Joel Streicker, Shofar

"Morris has reviewed all the revisionist literature, re-worked the shelves of the archives to make sure that nothing has been overlooked, and given us a meticulously researched day-by-day narrative of the first Arab-Israeli war."―Paul C. Merkley, Books & Culture

Winner of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award in the category of History, presented by the Jewish Book Council

"This is the best book by far on the war of 1948."—Benjamin Kedar, Professor of History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"This is a wonderful contribution to the historiography of the Israel/Palestine War of 1948. Morris has written a fresh account, substantiated by a lot of new documentation."―Ronald W. Zweig, Professor of Israel Studies, New York University

About the Author

Benny Morris is professor of history in the Middle East Studies Department of Ben-Gurion University, Israel. He is the leading figure among Israel's "New Historians," who over the past two decades have reshaped our understanding of the Israeli-Arab conflict. His books include Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001; Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956; and The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (March 23, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300151128
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300151121
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #440,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #472 in Intelligence & Espionage History
- #615 in Israel & Palestine History (Books)

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4.6 278 ratings

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Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They describe the writing as clear and readable. The book provides a good background for a better understanding of what is happening today.

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44 customers mention "Information quality"44 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a detailed and informative account of the 1948 war. It provides excellent context for the events, with useful facts and a clear narrative. Readers appreciate the book's thorough research and balanced narrative.

"...; of Israel's birth, but an incredibly honest, balanced, and well researched (based heavily on author's access to primary sources) account of this..." Read more

"...this book that clarifies the background, conduct and outcome of this critical military conflict that has had such revolutionary effects on not only..." Read more

"...Etc. Still, the book contains no end of useful facts, and is an exceptional contribution to the Israeli-Palestinian debate in numerous ways...." Read more

"...This book details the pros & cons of both sides - unashamedly listing victories that the Arabs achieved and the atrocities that the Israelis..." Read more

21 customers mention "Writing quality"15 positive6 negative

Customers find the book's writing clear and readable. They appreciate the balanced approach and the concise pointers about how the Palestinian Arabs lost the war. The content is excellent, but formatting errors are frustrating for some readers.

"...' is an extremely informative, generally unbiased and well-written rendition of its subject...." Read more

"...anti-Israel", and then for being "too pro-Israel", this book is unique in his writings, in that it involves very little of his own views...." Read more

"...The book gives some pretty succinct pointers about how the Palestinian Arabs lost so much in this conflict...." Read more

"...The second thing to be cautious about is the difficulty of understanding key descriptions in this book without an intimate knowledge of the..." Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched and balanced. They say it provides a good background for understanding what is happening today. The book also presents an honest look at a very controversial war.

"..."original sin" of Israel's birth, but an incredibly honest, balanced, and well researched..." Read more

"The most thorough depiction of 1984 that I have come across. But, wasn't what I was looking for...." Read more

"...has done a lot of research and presents what I think is a very honest look at a very controversial war." Read more

"...It presents a good background for a better understanding of what is happening today. Recommended for understanding today's issues." Read more

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Hungry-4-the-Word
Be Warned
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
Be warned: for those of you who have heard this is some leftist screed or biased presentation of the 1948 War of Independence, you will be disappointed. This is an excellently researched and written tome on the first Arab-Israeli war of the modern era. It was hailed by leftist, because of the "new" (hence, "New Historians") revelations concerning expulsions of Arabs from parts of what became Israel, particularly the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem corridor and the area of Lod airport (now Ben Gurion), as well as a new and "corrected" view that the Jewish Yishuv was far more organized, competent, and equipped than the "classical" view of it's being the "underdog" in that war. Neither of these two revelations, news, perhaps, to readers beyond Israel's borders, is news to most Israelis whom, like the author himself (but excepted by Israel's radical Left), have reconciled themselves to these truths decades ago. In truth, most of us (I am Israeli), including the author, have accepted this "new" narrative, and don't lose any sleep over it. In fact, as I watch events unfold in the latest round of the Israel/Hamas conflict, I am convicted more than ever that our differences are irreconcilable, and the Yishuv and later Israel should have expelled the bulk of the Muslims from the country, who will always have genocidal goals with regard to us. I know this is deeply offensive to many of you, and I simply don't care (nor do most Israelis).

The second thing to be cautious about is the difficulty of understanding key descriptions in this book without an intimate knowledge of the geography and equally important, topography. I was really able to enjoy this book because of my being intimately familiar with the "lay of the land" as a both a former Israeli soldier, as well as a licensed tour guide. Those of you lacking such an intimate knowledge of the geography will find it hard to read this book "in color," as opposed to a most rudimentary "black and white."

In conclusion, this book is no leftist apology for any "original sin" of Israel's birth, but an incredibly honest, balanced, and well researched (based heavily on author's access to primary sources) account of this most pivotal event in the post WWII world order, the rebirth of the Jewish State of Israel. That this topic attracts such disproportionate attention and furor relative to the small size of the country, and yes, the relatively small refugee crisis (the birth of Pakistan the same year produced 14 MILLION refugees…why don't we hear people harp about them every day!) it produced, speaks volumes about the passions and prejudices people bring to the topic. The author himself, often mistakenly embraced as a champion of the left, has gone on record many times saying that Israel did what it had to do under the circumstances…it was "us or them." With Hamas' stated goal to murder every Jew in the world, simply because they are Jewish…and the fact that the majority of the Palestinian and greater Arab populations of the world are sympathetic to this goal, the truth is that it is still "us or them," and Israel's War of Independence has not concluded.

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givbatam3
The INDESPENSIBLE Book On The Beginnings of the Arab/Israel Conflict
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2009
Verified Purchase
More than 60 years after Israel's War of Independence, passions regarding its conduct and outcome are running higher than ever. Benny Morris has done historical research an invaluable service in writing this book that clarifies the background, conduct and outcome of this critical military conflict that has had such revolutionary effects on not only the Middle East, but also the whole world. Morris was considered 20 years ago a "revisionist historian" in Israel because he overturned some popular myths in Israel that were propagated due to inordinate feelings of inferiority and lack of confidence. This made him a darling of post-Zionist and anti-Zionist circles. However, in writings of his that he was made since then, he has shown himself a stauch supporter of the Zionist enterprise and has angered those same anti-Israel circles. In spite of the fact that he is so controversial his book has the ring of truth about it. What convinced me of this is the fact that he used only contemporary records and documents of the period as his sources and he did not use interviews, biographies, and reminiscences that came out years later and which are inevitably distorted due to peoples' attempts to justify their decisions, to cover up embarrassing facts and simply forgetfulness. A good example is the efforts by Israel-bashing charlatan historians like Ilan Pappe to claim that the Zionists had a malevolent plan to expel all the Arabs from Palestine since before the war broke out. Morris clearly shows that this could not be the case, since large Arab populations were left in place, particularly in the Galilee section of northern Israel and that the Israeli Arab population has grown and prospered under Israeli rule. However, it must be pointed out that "population exchanges" were NOT considered "shocking" in the time period that the war occurred.....similar things had been done between Greece and Turkey in the 1920s, the expulsion of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe after World War II, and the creation by a Muslims of a ethnic/religiously sectarian state in India led to something like 1 million deaths and 10 million refugess, yet no one wants to reverse that outcome that like those who support the Palestinian "Right of Return". Morris makes clear that it was the Arabs who started the war and who attacked the Jews with the expressed intent of "driving them into the sea" (Morris provides ample evidence of this as expressed not only to their own population but to Westerners as well). This increased the Jewish fighters motivation to hit the Arabs before they could wipe out the Jews.

Morris clearly explains the general strategic flow of the war, something that is missing from earlier books on the subject and he shows the decision making by the leaders that led to this. The book does lack some of the "color" of previous histories (e.g. Dan Kurzman's "Genesis 1948")that give stories of individuals who participated in the war and specific small-scale engagements but the book does not suffer from this at all . He points out that the war had two distinct phases, the first being the "Civil War" which broke out immediately upon the adoption by the UN of the 1947 Partition Resolution. This was between local Palestinian armed groups with the addition of foreign Arab volunteers and the Jewish armed groups, primarily the Hagana, ETZEL (Irgun) and LEHI (Sternist) fighters. Morris points out that although the Arabs had years to prepare for the struggle, they were totally incapable of mounting a coherent fight. He notes that Palestinians from one town or village were rarely willing to go to fight for another town, and that Palestinians from the large towns such as Shechem (Nablus) and Hevron that were not involved in the fighting did not send many fighters to help their "brother" Palestinians. Morris says that this is a major indication that the concept of "Palestinian national identity" didn't exist then. The Jews quickly blunted the Arab offensive and turned around and went on the offensive themselves. The second phase was the organized invasion by the neighboring Arab state upon the declaration of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. Morris shows that as far as manpower was concerned, both sides were evenly matched, but that the Arab side had far more firepower, particularly tanks, artillery and aircraft. In spite of this, the Arab states fought a poorly run, uncoordinated war and they also quickly found themselves on the defensive, eventually begging for a cease-fire. Still, the Jews had something like 5800 killed out of a population of 600,000, including a quarter who were civilians. In spite of the fact that both sides claimed that there were atrocities against civilians, Morris notes that this war had far fewer atrocities against civilians that have had much more recent wars such as those involved in the break-up of Yugoslavia or the Sudanese civil wars.

One of the most important things Morris brings in the book is the clear evidence that the Arab side would not consider making real peace with Israel, that the view the existence of any Jewish state of any size as unbearable humiliation that refutes the Muslims' right, as they see it, to control the Middle East, and eventually the world, and that Arab attitudes today have not changed in any significant way, in spite of the exitence of "peace agreements" between Israel and Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians. These peace agreements are viewed by the Arabs merely as temporary cease-fires made in order to allow the Arabs to strengthen themselves pending a resumption of hostilities.

Morris ends the book on something of a pessimistic note, saying that although Israel won the war in 1948 and also subsequent wars, its future is still far from assured, but I don't agree with it. However, for there to be a change in Arab attitutes it is first mandatory that Jews and non-Jews who live in Israel or support it to understand the truth of what happened and to reject the false views of people like Ilan Pappe and various anti-Israel propagandists. Once the truth is known and spread to others, Israel can take a firmer stand on its rights and to make it clear that it will not grovel to the Arabs and make endless concessions to try to pacify those who will not be passified. Only a strong stand by Israel will make the Arabs realize that Israel is here to stay, and the eventually, a modus-vivendi, if not formal peace, can be achieved. Reading Morris' book is the first step in the this direction.

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Top reviews from other countries

arad hilel
Great book
Reviewed in Germany on December 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Great book with a comprehensive historical summary of the Israeli-Palestinian and the Israeli-Arab conflict. I loved the book. I recommend it.

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Christopher M.
... Arab Israeli conflicts - but this work maintains that fine and wavering line well
Reviewed in Australia on January 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Balance is hard on any topic as grey as the Arab Israeli conflicts - but this work maintains that fine and wavering line well.

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JPDeG
Essential reading for those that think they know something about the middle east conflict.
Reviewed in Canada on March 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
One should not pretend to understand Israel/Palestine without reading this book. I have been studying the conflict all my life and have spent a lot of time on the ground in the region. I have had many teachers from the many sides of the conflict. I have read other works by Morris and even so, this book shines a lot of light on the origins of the conflict. I learned a lot from it.

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Gamlan
1948: The frustrated genocide
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2011
Verified Purchase
I don't wish to begin my review by trashing the previous one so better to start by agreeing that 1948 is an excellent book, but not for the reasons stated of putting Israel in the dock. Just the opposite. The newly established israeli army fought a desperate battle to prevent arabs in Palestine from falling upon the jewish communities there and slaughtering them (10% of the army were killed during the war, definitely not fitting in with the usual mantra of israelis supposedly falling on the defenceless Palestine arab victims).
Haj Amin el Husseini the recognised leader of arabs in Palestine made no bones about this being a war of anihilation against the jews (he could be believed as he along with his top commanders had set up the Nazi Bosnian SS division that massacred thousands of jews and partisans alike:
[...]

likewise the head of the Arab League Azzam Pasha who said about the war, "This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades".
[...]

Israel's defence forces might (like all other armies) have at times done some pretty unpleasant things in defending itself. But it was fighting firstly against murderous and uprovoked attacks by palestinian irregular forces and then against an invasion by 5 arab armies armed, supplied and in part led by officers of the British imperial army (The British Army never did have an investigation into its officers, nominally under the command of Jordan (under 'Jordanian' general Glubb Pasha) firing artillery point blank and indiscriminately into jewish civilian areas from the heights over Jerusalem).

Benny Morris being the consummate historian he is does not gloss over failings on the jewish side, but if any lesson is to be taken from this book, it is that despite the jews being attacked throughout the country from the moment the UN decided to partion Palestine (a pogrom took place in jerusalem the day after the Nov 30th 1947 decision and in the Jaffa area jews were taken off buses and slaughtered by Palestine arabs) even before the jewish state was established the Israelis did not reply until forced to do so in April 1948. The Haganah contented itself with its traditional policy of 'restraint' or 'Havalagah' which meant simply defending its towns and villages without counter-attacking.

This policy did not lead to moderation on the part of the arabs of Palestine but rather allowed them to think they could strangle Israel even before the British army left in May 1948. Increased attacks meant that the jewish areas of the city of Jerusalem were constantly being cut off along with its water supply. The supply route from Tel-Aviv was highly dangerous and many jews were killed in the convoys that brought food to Jerusalem. It should be remembered that before May 1948 the British army was responsible for security in Palestine yet it refused to protect the convoys and confiscated arms from the jewish guards trying to protect it. The results were hundreds of dead and wounded jews just on this route alone. The remains of attacked convoys can be seen along the road from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem to this day.

With one month left until the British sponsored arab armies invaded in May 1948 the Hagana finally went over to the attack in protecting its lines of supply that had until now been under constant attack from guerilla bands based in arab villages along the roads. This is often described as 'ethnic cleansing' nowadays but those who argue this can't explain the fact that after Israel's War of Independence it still had many hundreds of thousands of arab citizens who became Israelis with fulll rights. There are documented cases such as in Haifa whereby the representatives of Israel pleaded for the arab community to stay. That many didn't but went to Lebanon was their own mistake. In hoping they would return in the wake of victorious arab armies they instead now reside in the apartheid conditions in Lebanon where they at least until recently were not allowed to work, mix with or have services given to Lebanese citizens. The same applied to other areas that arabs from Palestine fled to.

The Jewish State however absorbed over 700,000 jews expelled from arab countries during 1948 onwards. Unlike many in the arab population of Palestine they had done nothing to deserve this treatment. Where do we ever hear of the plight of jewish refugees from arab countries and their rights?

Even the British mandatory authorities who were for the most part extremely indulgent towards the arabs of Palestine in 1936 waged a war of anihilation against the terror bands that had widened their attentions from killing jews to the British authorities. Terror begat terror and the British army did not pussy foot around. The arab terrorists were ruthlessly crushed. Villages that sheltered terrorists were blown up and terrorists executed on the spot.

So yes, I wholeheartedly recommend this book as for an unbiased reader will be able to understand why it was that Palestinians left Israel. Not because the jews had dastardly intentions but rather that many in the Palestine arab community had since at least the 1920's carried out a war of terror against the peaceful jewish community there. The arabs who didn't fight the jews are Israelis today.

Unlike most other books on this subject by polemicists such as Pappe and Shlaim etc you can read this book, absorb the wealth of detail (yes, provided by Israel as in the tradition of a democracy and unlike the arab countries they allow full access to their archives. I would dearly like to read material from the arab archives and wonder just why they are closed to researchers) and make up your own mind.

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Christopher J. Collier
an excellent and unbiased account of the war
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
Morris describes the events leading up to the Arab attempt to strangle the young Israel and the repercussions of that struggle up to the present. When you read the tragic tale you can’t help but think, if only.

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