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Israel's Wars: A History since 1947
First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 26, 2020
Very informative. With lots of details that were previously unknown to me. Very readable. And quite surprisingly, the author provides a very critical view on Israel’s wars
November 15, 2023
I picked up this book in view of the current situation, intrigued to know more about the history of Israel.
The book is a compact history of the country, giving a background of its birth, existence, its trials and tribulations and its turbulent relationship with its own past and neighbours.
This book is the second edition (released to include the al-aqsa intifida), the first edition published in 2000. And the author has then gone on to release another 2 editions of the same.
The author, Ahron Bregman was a Captain in the Israeli army during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and worked for three years as a parliamentary assistant at the Knesset.
The first chapter touches on the Israeli psyche of building up a nation and lost chances by Arab Palestinians to build their own. The state of Israel is born from desperation (Jews fleeing the holocaust) and fear (Arabs driving them away after their defeat in 47-48 war) and strangely a certain forced migration (Israel creating a scare in Iraq to drive the Jewish population into their new country).
The book is a well-researched document, and the author has been impartial in giving his personal insights into the situation and wars. Set in a chronological order beginning with its 1948 war of Independence, ‘Israel’s Wars’ ends with the al-aqsa intifida ongoing in September 2000.
Throughout the book, the response of Israeli society to each conflict is recorded and described. The author has tried to dissect many landmark political decisions and has made all efforts to give a key insight with his heavy research into this troubled landscape.
History is sometimes so determined, and sometimes so strangely written with force of circumstances or on-the-spur decision, just as General Dayan decided to enter Gaza and Golan Heights in June 1967 (page 90).
On page 80, Moshe Dayan, the then premier of IDF had already pointed out Gaza as a hotbed of turmoil. He considered Gaza to be a place “ bristled with problems… a nest of wasps.”
War, Peace and Society. Page 142 gives a concise description of the three wars. The 1967 six day war. The 1968-70 war of attrition. 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Page 215. Al-Asqa Intifida is well defined and explained.
An easy-to-read, informative and surprisingly critical of the policies of Israel, the book is a great introduction to Israel’s warring existence.
For anyone who desires to know about this permanently on-the-edge land, this book is a great introduction to the same.
The book is a compact history of the country, giving a background of its birth, existence, its trials and tribulations and its turbulent relationship with its own past and neighbours.
This book is the second edition (released to include the al-aqsa intifida), the first edition published in 2000. And the author has then gone on to release another 2 editions of the same.
The author, Ahron Bregman was a Captain in the Israeli army during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and worked for three years as a parliamentary assistant at the Knesset.
The first chapter touches on the Israeli psyche of building up a nation and lost chances by Arab Palestinians to build their own. The state of Israel is born from desperation (Jews fleeing the holocaust) and fear (Arabs driving them away after their defeat in 47-48 war) and strangely a certain forced migration (Israel creating a scare in Iraq to drive the Jewish population into their new country).
The book is a well-researched document, and the author has been impartial in giving his personal insights into the situation and wars. Set in a chronological order beginning with its 1948 war of Independence, ‘Israel’s Wars’ ends with the al-aqsa intifida ongoing in September 2000.
Throughout the book, the response of Israeli society to each conflict is recorded and described. The author has tried to dissect many landmark political decisions and has made all efforts to give a key insight with his heavy research into this troubled landscape.
History is sometimes so determined, and sometimes so strangely written with force of circumstances or on-the-spur decision, just as General Dayan decided to enter Gaza and Golan Heights in June 1967 (page 90).
On page 80, Moshe Dayan, the then premier of IDF had already pointed out Gaza as a hotbed of turmoil. He considered Gaza to be a place “ bristled with problems… a nest of wasps.”
War, Peace and Society. Page 142 gives a concise description of the three wars. The 1967 six day war. The 1968-70 war of attrition. 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Page 215. Al-Asqa Intifida is well defined and explained.
An easy-to-read, informative and surprisingly critical of the policies of Israel, the book is a great introduction to Israel’s warring existence.
For anyone who desires to know about this permanently on-the-edge land, this book is a great introduction to the same.
June 21, 2009
By far the most informative book I have read on the wars in Israel. The author had access to things like Ben Gurion's personal diary. This account is extremely well written and easy to read. I recommend it to anyone interested in Israel.
May 17, 2015
A fascinating subject. This is the 10th book I have read on Israeli/Arab Wars. I always find this small country's military capabilities extraordinary. This one included a small discussion about the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to rid itself of the rocket-firing Hezbollah. I find it also interesting that Israeli is no longer fighting Arab countries, but quasi-military terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas which are proxies of Iran and Syria. Israel has always operated to its own agenda. They are also less concerned with world public opinion unlike the Western democracies. With the battles against terrorists hiding in urban population centers, Israel has now found itself more susceptible to outcry over collateral damage. A new thing for the IDF.
Israel's military capability also extends beyond conventional means into the nuclear and cyber realms. I wished that more was discussed about these subjects, but overall I am satisfied and found this one enjoyable.
Israel's military capability also extends beyond conventional means into the nuclear and cyber realms. I wished that more was discussed about these subjects, but overall I am satisfied and found this one enjoyable.
June 25, 2016
Had the pleasure to take Professor Bregman's class on the subject. Excellent book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews