The Making of Modern Israel

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.