Best Books About Israel (74 books)

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An historic collection to understand Israel, with its problems and its virtues, today.

Although each book can be read separately, the order goes as follows:
1-2: A general introduction
3-13: History of the State and Identity, chronologically.
13-27: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
28-34: Religion and state

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1	Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman 4.42 avg rating — 10,515 ratings score: 289, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Palestinian Dissident by Sam Shoman 4.19 avg rating — 36 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappé 4.39 avg rating — 6,380 ratings score: 199, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of Gaza and the Occupied Territories by Ilan Pappé 4.36 avg rating — 1,529 ratings score: 199, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Contra el fanatismo by Amos Oz 3.84 avg rating — 4,096 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Bram: The Life and Wisdom of Messianic Jewish Pioneer Abram Poljak in His Own Words by Abram Poljak 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth by Noa Tishby 4.29 avg rating — 10,841 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East by Yaakov Katz 4.14 avg rating — 636 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Men As Friends: From Cicero to Svevo to Cataldo by Irwin Epstein 4.89 avg rating — 28 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	History As I See It and Others by Hafiz Sheriff (Goodreads Author) 3.43 avg rating — 14 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Mi tierra prometida by Ari Shavit 4.21 avg rating — 11,309 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef 4.24 avg rating — 19,352 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Beyond the Nation-State: The Zionist Political Imagination from Pinsker to Ben-Gurion by Dmitry Shumsky 4.55 avg rating — 20 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Case for Israel by Alan M. Dershowitz 3.79 avg rating — 2,758 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel by Matti Friedman 3.96 avg rating — 2,696 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé 4.55 avg rating — 11,107 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World by Dan Senor 4.38 avg rating — 1,370 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism by Mohammad Shahid Alam 4.42 avg rating — 26 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews In Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017 by Ian Black 4.20 avg rating — 1,620 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Israel Test: How Israel's Genius Enriches and Challenges the World by George Gilder 4.08 avg rating — 289 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge by Ilan Pappé 4.28 avg rating — 381 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein (Goodreads Author) 4.42 avg rating — 3,541 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	White City, Black City: Architecture and War in Tel Aviv and Jaffa by Sharon Rotbard (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 228 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit 4.21 avg rating — 11,309 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine: Zionism, Settler Colonialism, and the Case for One Democratic State by Jeff Halper 4.04 avg rating — 150 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide by Ben White 4.26 avg rating — 348 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Resurrecting Hebrew Resurrecting Hebrew Resurrecting Hebrew by Ilan Stavans 3.28 avg rating — 119 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism by Alan M. Dershowitz 4.17 avg rating — 266 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	What Is Modern Israel? by Yakov M. Rabkin 4.31 avg rating — 42 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by Nathan Thrall 4.35 avg rating — 14,199 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	From Hamas to America: My Story of Defying Terror, Facing the Unimaginable, and Finding Redemption in the Land of Opportunity by Mosab Hassan Yousef 4.10 avg rating — 287 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Israel: politics, myths, and identity crises by Akiva Orr 3.44 avg rating — 9 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Enemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017 by Ian Black 4.20 avg rating — 1,620 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Falafel Nation: Cuisine and the Making of National Identity in Israel by Yael Raviv 3.67 avg rating — 21 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Genius of Israel by Dan Senor 4.38 avg rating — 1,370 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel by Max Blumenthal 4.27 avg rating — 875 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know by Dov Waxman 4.39 avg rating — 571 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Ben-Gurion: A Biography. The Centennial Edition by Michael Bar-Zohar 4.36 avg rating — 188 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	The Case for Sanctions Against Israel by Audrea Lim (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.90 avg rating — 147 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel by Dov Waxman 3.56 avg rating — 54 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership by Yehuda Avner 4.62 avg rating — 1,945 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Israel: Democracy or Apartheid State? by Josh Ruebner 4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Menachem Begin: The Battle for Israel's Soul (Jewish Encounters Series) by Daniel Gordis 4.27 avg rating — 466 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Politics of Denial: Israel and the Palestinian Refugee Problem by Nur Masalha 4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Slopes Of Lebanon by Amos Oz 3.61 avg rating — 71 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities by Simha Flapan 4.02 avg rating — 58 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	In The Land Of Israel: An Insider's View of Israeli Politics and Society Through Arab and Israeli Voices by Amos Oz 4.11 avg rating — 885 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Norman G. Finkelstein 4.32 avg rating — 710 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Israel, Palestine and Peace: Essays by Amos Oz really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 117 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands by Rachel Shabi 3.80 avg rating — 111 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Words of My Father: Love and Pain in Palestine by Yousef Bashir 4.39 avg rating — 738 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Bitter Reckoning: Israel Tries Holocaust Survivors as Nazi Collaborators by Dan Porat 4.14 avg rating — 36 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Yellow Wind by David Grossman 4.13 avg rating — 964 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Founding Myths of Modern Israel by Roger Garaudy 4.11 avg rating — 1,161 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Presencias Ausentes by David Grossman 4.04 avg rating — 140 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Israel and South Africa: The Many Faces of Apartheid by Ilan Pappé (Editor) 3.89 avg rating — 37 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	A Land Without Borders: My Journey Around East Jerusalem and the West Bank by Nir Baram 3.85 avg rating — 191 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The New Intifada: Resisting Israel's Apartheid by Roane Carey (Editor) 4.13 avg rating — 85 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	In Pursuit of Peace in Israel and Palestine by Gershon Baskin really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 18 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Wrapped in the Flag of Israel: Mizrahi Single Mothers and Bureaucratic Torture by Smadar Lavie 3.73 avg rating — 15 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	No Country for Jewish Liberals by Larry Derfner (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 21 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman by Itamar Rabinovich 4.11 avg rating — 102 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron 4.33 avg rating — 1,292 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Death As a Way of Life : Ten Years After Oslo by David Grossman 3.77 avg rating — 189 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi 4.09 avg rating — 3,765 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life by Sayed Kashua 4.01 avg rating — 453 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu by Anshel Pfeffer 4.14 avg rating — 479 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Lions' Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky by Susie Linfield 3.92 avg rating — 118 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	#IsraeliJudaism: Portrait of a Cultural Revolution by Shmuel Rosner 4.07 avg rating — 58 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel by Daniel Gordis 4.11 avg rating — 334 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Israel's Higher Law: Religion and Liberal Democracy in the Jewish State by Steven V. Mazie really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Jewish Identity in Modern Israel: Proceedings on Secular Judaism and Democracy by Naftali Rothenberg (Editor) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Above the Death Pits, Beneath the Flag: Youth Voyages to Poland and the Performance of Israeli National Identity by Jackie Feldman 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 68, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	Foreign Workers in Israel: Global Perspectives (SUNY series in Israeli Studies) by Israel Drori it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 67, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars