The Making of Modern Israel

On May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was declared, announced by David Ben-Gurion at a small gathering that assembled in the main hall of the Tel Aviv Art Museum. Within a time frame of only nineteen years, culminating in the Six-Day War, Israel fought three separate wars. But within its first four years, thanks to mass immigration, its population doubled. Furthermore, Israel had been confronted with acute economic difficulties, intra Jewish ethnic tensions, a problematic Arab minority and a secular-religious divide. Apart from defence issues, Israel faced a generally hostile or, at best, indifferent international community rendering it hard pressed in securing great power patronage or even official sympathy and understanding. Based on a wide range of sources, both in Hebrew and English, this book contains a judicious synthesis of the received literature to yield the general reader and student alike a reliable, balanced, and novel account of Israel?s fateful and turbulent infancy.

On May 14, 1948 the State of Israel was declared, announced byDavid Ben-Gurion at a small gathering that assembled in the mainhall of the Tel Aviv Art Museum. Within a time frame of onlynineteen years, culminating in the Six-Day War, Israel fought threeseparate wars. But within its first four years, thanks to massimmigration, its population doubled. Furthermore, Israel had beenconfronted with acute economic difficulties, intra Jewish ethnictensions, a problematic Arab minority and a secular-religiousdivide. Apart from defence issues, Israel faced a generally hostileor, at best, indifferent international community rendering it hardpressed in securing great power patronage or even official sympathyand understanding. Based on a wide range of sources, both in Hebrewand English, this book contains a judicious synthesis of thereceived literature to yield the general reader and student alike areliable, balanced, and novel account of Israel?s fateful andturbulent infancy.

Preface.Introduction.Chapter One: The War of Independence.Chapter Two: Arab Refugees.Chapter Three: The Ingathering of the Exiles.Chapter Four: Early Social, Political and EconomicDevelopments.Chapter Five: The Scourge of Arab Infiltration.Chapter Six: Operation Kadesh: The Sinai Campaign.Chapter Seven: Interlude Between Wars.Chapter Eight: The Lead Up To The Six Day War.Chapter Nine: The Six Day War and Its Aftermath.Glossary.Appendix.Bibliography.Index