Israel: A History – A Riveting Chronicle of Zionism, Persecution, Statehood, and the Pursuit of Peace

“The most comprehensive account of Israeli history yet published.”  — The Sunday Telegraph“An epic history . . . a picture of an Israel that persevered and prevailed, that was determined to survive and was unwilling to trust its independence to others but sought peace whenever possible.” — Foreign AffairsIsrael is a small and relativelyyoung country, but since the day of its creation more than half a century ago, itsturbulent history has placed it squarely at the center of the world stage. Fortwo millennia the Jews, dispersed all over the world, prayed for a return toZion. Until the nineteenth century, that dream seemed a fantasy, but then asecular Zionist movement was born and soon the initial trickle of Jewishimmigrants to Palestine turned into a flood as Jews fled persecution in Europe.From these beginnings, preeminent historian MartinGilbert traces the events and personalities that would lead to the sudden,dramatic declaration of Statehood in May 1948. From that point on, Israel’shistory has been dominated by conflict: Suez, the Six Day War, the Yom KippurWar, the Lebanon and the Intifada. Using contemporary documents andeyewitness accounts, and drawing on his own intimate knowledge of the countryand its people, Martin Gilbert weaves together a riveting, page-turning historyof a powerful and proud nation, from the struggles of its pioneers in the nineteenth century up to the present day. Read more