Best Books About Israel (73 books)

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 — 9,838 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 4.40 avg rating — 5,937 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 — 1,457 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 — 3,979 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 4.50 avg rating — 4 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 — 10,344 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 4.17 avg rating — 385 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 4.91 avg rating — 23 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
10	Mi tierra prometida by Ari Shavit 4.21 avg rating — 11,110 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
10	Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef 4.24 avg rating — 18,491 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
12	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
12	The Case for Israel by Alan M. Dershowitz 3.80 avg rating — 2,718 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
14	Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel by Matti Friedman 3.95 avg rating — 2,601 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
14	The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé 4.55 avg rating — 10,482 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
14	The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World by Dan Senor 4.38 avg rating — 1,261 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
14	Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism by Mohammad Shahid Alam 4.42 avg rating — 24 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
18	Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews In Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017 by Ian Black 4.20 avg rating — 1,514 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
18	The Israel Test: How Israel's Genius Enriches and Challenges the World by George Gilder 4.75 avg rating — 12 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
18	The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge by Ilan Pappé 4.30 avg rating — 351 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
18	The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 2,925 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
22	White City, Black City: Architecture and War in Tel Aviv and Jaffa by Sharon Rotbard (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 219 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
22	My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit 4.21 avg rating — 11,110 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
22	Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine: Zionism, Settler Colonialism, and the Case for One Democratic State by Jeff Halper 4.03 avg rating — 146 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
22	Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide by Ben White 4.27 avg rating — 346 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
26	Resurrecting Hebrew Resurrecting Hebrew Resurrecting Hebrew by Ilan Stavans 3.26 avg rating — 113 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
26	War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism by Alan M. Dershowitz 4.18 avg rating — 261 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
26	What Is Modern Israel? by Yakov M. Rabkin 4.30 avg rating — 40 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
26	A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by Nathan Thrall 4.35 avg rating — 12,859 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
30	From Hamas to America: My Story of Defying Terror, Facing the Unimaginable, and Finding Redemption in the Land of Opportunity by Mosab Hassan Yousef 4.12 avg rating — 248 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
30	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
30	Enemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017 by Ian Black 4.20 avg rating — 1,514 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
33	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
33	The Genius of Israel by Dan Senor 4.38 avg rating — 1,261 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
33	Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel by Max Blumenthal 4.25 avg rating — 834 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
33	The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know by Dov Waxman 4.40 avg rating — 533 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
37	Ben-Gurion: A Biography. The Centennial Edition by Michael Bar-Zohar 4.38 avg rating — 180 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
37	The Case for Sanctions Against Israel by Audrea Lim (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.89 avg rating — 142 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
37	Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel by Dov Waxman 3.54 avg rating — 56 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
40	The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership by Yehuda Avner 4.61 avg rating — 1,895 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
40	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
42	Menachem Begin: The Battle for Israel's Soul (Jewish Encounters Series) by Daniel Gordis 4.29 avg rating — 446 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
42	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
44	The Slopes Of Lebanon by Amos Oz 3.61 avg rating — 69 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
44	The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities by Simha Flapan 4.07 avg rating — 56 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
46	In The Land Of Israel by Amos Oz 4.11 avg rating — 846 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
46	Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Norman G. Finkelstein 4.32 avg rating — 693 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
48	Israel, Palestine and Peace: Essays by Amos Oz 3.98 avg rating — 116 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
48	We Look Like the Enemy: The Hidden Story of Israel's Jews from Arab Lands by Rachel Shabi 3.81 avg rating — 109 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
50	The Words of My Father: Love and Pain in Palestine by Yousef Bashir 4.39 avg rating — 697 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
50	Bitter Reckoning: Israel Tries Holocaust Survivors as Nazi Collaborators by Dan Porat 4.06 avg rating — 32 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
52	The Yellow Wind by David Grossman 4.13 avg rating — 943 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
52	The Founding Myths of Modern Israel by Roger Garaudy 4.11 avg rating — 1,151 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
54	Presencias Ausentes by David Grossman 4.03 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
54	Israel and South Africa: The Many Faces of Apartheid by Ilan Pappé (Editor) 3.82 avg rating — 33 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
56	A Land Without Borders: My Journey Around East Jerusalem and the West Bank by Nir Baram 3.86 avg rating — 187 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
56	The New Intifada: Resisting Israel's Apartheid by Roane Carey (Editor) 4.12 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
58	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
58	Wrapped in the Flag of Israel: Mizrahi Single Mothers and Bureaucratic Torture by Smadar Lavie 3.71 avg rating — 14 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
60	No Country for Jewish Liberals by Larry Derfner (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 20 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
61	Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman by Itamar Rabinovich 4.10 avg rating — 99 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
62	Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron 4.33 avg rating — 1,273 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
63	Death As a Way of Life : Ten Years After Oslo by david-grossman 3.78 avg rating — 185 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
64	Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi 4.11 avg rating — 3,644 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
65	Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life by Sayed Kashua really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 446 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
66	Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu by Anshel Pfeffer 4.16 avg rating — 457 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
67	The Lions' Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky by Susie Linfield 3.94 avg rating — 115 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
68	#IsraeliJudaism: Portrait of a Cultural Revolution by Shmuel Rosner 4.13 avg rating — 55 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
69	We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel by Daniel Gordis 4.12 avg rating — 320 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
70	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
71	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
72	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
73	Foreign Workers in Israel: Global Perspectives 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