A History of Modern Israel

The new edition of Colin Shindler's history of Israel traces the nation's developments from 1948 to the present day.

Colin Shindler (Author)

9781107671775, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 25 March 2013

492 pages, 20 b/w illus. 6 maps
22.7 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.64 kg

'This is an immensely readable and accessible book and a good primer for students … a helpful glossary and a fast-paced and interesting narrative make this one of the few good and balanced one-volume histories available.' Seth J. Frantzman, Middle East Media and Book Reviews (membr.uwm.edu/)

Colin Shindler's remarkable history begins in 1948, as waves of immigrants arrived in Israel from war-torn Europe to establish new cities, new institutions, and a new culture founded on the Hebrew language. Optimistic beginnings were soon replaced with the sobering reality of wars with Arab neighbours, internal ideological differences, and ongoing confrontation with the Palestinians. In this updated edition, Shindler covers the significant developments of the last decade, including the rise of the Israeli far right, Hamas's takeover and the political rivalry between Gaza and the West Bank, Israel's uneasy dealings with the new administration in the United States, political Islam and the potential impact of the Arab Spring on the region as a whole. This sympathetic yet candid portrayal asks how a nation that emerged out of the ashes of the Holocaust and was the admiration of the world is now perceived by many Western governments in a less than benevolent light.

1. Zionism and security
2. The Hebrew republic
3. New immigrants and first elections
4. The politics of piety
5. Retaliation or self-restraint
6. The rise of the right
7. The road to Beirut
8. Dissent at home and abroad
9. An insurrection before a handshake
10. The end of ideology?
11. The killing of a prime minister
12. The magician and the bulldozer
13. He does not stop at the red light
14. An unlikely grandfather
15. A brotherly conflict
16. Bialik's bequest?
17. Stagnation and isolationism
18. An Arab spring and an Israeli winter?

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]