ISRAEL: A History

by Martin Gilbert ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 8, 1998

One of the first in a slew of books forthcoming to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel: a thorough and thoroughly entertaining history of that nation's first half century--from a Labor Party point of view. The prolific historian and Churchill biographer Gilbert (A History of the Twentieth Century, 1997; Holocaust Journey, 1997) covers the remarkable story of Israel's miracles and debacles from the time a Zionist state was a gleam in Theodor Herzl's eye to the latest shrill attack on current Prime Minister Netanyahu for building Jewish housing in the old city of Jerusalem. But Gilbert's pro-Labor bias somewhat distorts not only his interpretation of the past but his perspective on the present and future of a nation that is becoming increasingly oriental and traditional and is now governed by a coalition representing those, rather than Labor's, interests. A rich history with a progressive stance.

Pub Date: April 8, 1998

ISBN: 0688123635

Page Count: 748

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1998

Categories: NONFICTION