A STATE IS BORN: The Story of Israel

by Burt Hirschfield ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 1967

From a moment in 1948 to the beginning (""It began with the word of God"") and, briefly, Abraham, Moses, persecution and discrimination (Rome, Spain, Russia, Germany), the modern Zionist movement, then back to 1948--the negotiations and political mancuverings preceding and during the War of Independence with details on military campaigns and strategies. English armament restrictions are exasperating, Arab aggression is aggravating, Israeli determination is undeviating. The epilogue on the six-day June 1967 war includes the Arab call for Holy War, overwhelming Arab defeat, severing of U.S.-Egyptian diplomatic relations, the charge of U.S. and English air support for Israel and the production of the incriminating Nasser-Hussein taped conversation, and the uncertainty of anything besides the need for deliberations and peace. Hasty history results in some oversimplification (the Dreyfus affair ""rocked not only France but the entire world and was largely responsible for the ensuing separation of church and state"") and undisguised hero worship. Meeker (Israel Reborn) and Levin (The Story of Israel), equally unsympathetic but more intimate, are more attentive to post-1949 developments, before the recent war. Slightly reverential but temporarily essential.

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Messner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION