Although it touts itself as a "Concise History" of Israel, the author has packed a lot of information and thoughtful analysis in this 546-page book.
This is much more than a chronological time-line of the highlights regarding the creation and existence of the Jewish state of Israel. The author re-plows the basic history as to how Theodor Herzel advocated for pogrom-weary European Jews to move to Palestine. The author not only details how Eastern European Jews were divided over whether or not a Jewish state should be created, the author notes the arguments and diverse personalities that debated this challenge. (The author provides some interesting commentary as to how the American writer Mark Twain reflected upon this issue.) [This book does a better job in explaining the "workings" of the early Zionist movement than what is discussed in the recently published "Zionism" by M. Viorst.]
Rather than reviewing all of the Zionist arguments here, I found that the author really provided a lot of insight as to the various Zionist and anti-Zionist arguments and how personalities were split between secularists and religious fundamentalists.. I found that the author provide new insights as to the developments in the "return to Israel" movement, and how the Balfour Declaration was born. I found that the author reviewed many sources and provided great, informative insights into how the Zionist movement campaigned throughout Europe to entice Jews to return to the Palestine region.
The author provided fine insight into the political and military disputes between Ben-Gurion and Begin during the 1940s. While the author noted that the Israeli government had a very difficult time in absorbing and caring for new, and oftentimes impoverished immigrants, I felt the author failed to convey the seriousness of the really desperate economic conditions of Israel during its first decade.
I found it interesting to learn that Begin had opposed Israel receiving financial "war reparations" from the West German government. Also, perhaps it was due to his remembrance of the Holocaust he resigned as prime minister rather than receive a new German official.
In reviewing the various political parties, it seemed that the primary disputes were more over personalities rather than economic policies -- although Begin certainly and consistently advocated for a greater "free market" economy that was in contrast to Ben-Gurion's socialistic Labor Party. It was interesting to learn how the high large influx of secular, Soviet-Jews starting in the 1980s changed the political dynamics of Israeli politics.
I was surprised to learn that the kibbutzim accounted for only about 15% of the Israeli population, and how they eventually declined in popularity and economic influence.
While the various wars are discussed, and casualties are noted, the author really doesn't spend much time in providing details as to how some military unit conducted some maneuver -- except to note how it affected the outcome of a war.
Yes, it is a strong pro-Jewish Israel book -- the author doesn't lament much about the plight of Palestinian Arabs, except to claim that much of their problems were of their own doing by failing to accept a peaceful coexistence with a Jewish state. While the author noted that within the occupied/administered "West Bank" [Samaria-Judea] there are three areas/zones of control or semi-control that are governed/administered by the Palestinian Authority (PA), the author doesn't dwell on analyzing the successes or failures of the PA's administration (that would take several other books to accomplish) -- except to say that Israelis themselves are deeply divided over the future "independence" of that area, and how Jewish settlements within are to be either expanded or reduced. (The author doesn't analyze the theological aspects of the Quran as to why the Muslim-Arabs won't accept a Jewish state.)
The author has produced a fine book in revealing the determination of the Zionists to birth a secular, Jewish state -- and he analyzes how the original Zionist dream/hope that both Arabs and Jews could live peacefully together has not and most likely will not be achieved. This is more than just a history of Israel, it is a history -- well, for the lack of a better word -- of the "revival" of the Jewish spirit in reclaiming a homeland; or as the author put it in the book's sub-title: "of a Nation Reborn". A book that I can highly recommend.
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