One Palestine Complete - Hardcover

Segev, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316648590 ISBN 13: 9780316648592

Publisher: Little Brown & Co, 2000

Synopsis

Tom Segev's widely-acclaimed work has changed the way we view the history of Israel. In this new book, he turns his expertise to the period before the creation of the state, the three decades when Palestine was ruled by the British Empire; and to Britain's promise to both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land.
Drawing on a wealth of fascinating, heretofore untapped archival material and primary sources, Segev reconstructs in vivid detail the tumultuous era when anything seemed possible and everything went awry. Here are the legendary figures - General Allenby, Lawrence of Arabia, King Faisal, Chaim Weitzman, David Ben-Gurion as well as an array of pioneers, immigrants, secret agents, diplomats and fanatics, all participants in a multicultural spectacle of revolution and decadence, prophecy and illusion.
Sensitive to all perspectives, Segev tracks the rise of the two national movements and their steady advance towards confrontation. And with the originality that is his hallmark, he offers the controversial thesis that the British, far from being pro-Arabist as commonly thought, consistently favoured the Zionist position, thereby ensuring the creation of the Jewish state; and that they did so out of the mistaken - and anti-Semitic - belief that the Jews turned the wheels of history.

About this title

About the Author:

Tom Segev is the acclaimed author of THE SEVENTH MILLION and writes a weekly column for HA'ARETZ, Israel's most prestigious newspaper.

Review:

Topicality is never an issue where Israel and the Palestinians are concerned. The arguments--not to mention bloodshed--over Jewish and Muslim nationhood and land rights have been going on for centuries and, whatever the best intentions of the current peace process, will probably go on for centuries to come. Both parties fanatically believe they have an inalienable historical right to statehood on the land in question and both regard Jerusalem as a holy City. As befits the disenfranchised, the Palestinians are slightly more open to a negotiated settlement, but the Israelis remain intransigent about handing over any but the most inhospitable of scrubland and the impasse remains. In the battle between the bullets and the ballot box, the bullets are winning hands down. Tom Segev is one of Israel's most notable historians and journalists--one of the few to strive for any sense of objectivity in his writings--so a new book by him is always worth waiting for. One Palestine, Complete is a detailed account of Palestine under British rule from 1917-48, the critical period in the modern history of the region that lead up to the creation of the state of Israel. Segev begins by carefully detailing Britain's well-known inconsistencies in dealing with both the Jews and the Arabs, both of whom it had appeared to promise if not the world, at least the country after independence was granted and goes on to make a convincing case that because Palestine fell into the category of an emotional rather than self-interested colonial possession, the Brits hoped the situation would unwind to everyone's mutual advantage. Where Segev departs from the historical norm is in his assertions that whatever the British may have said to the Palestinians their actions were uncompromisingly pro-Zionist from the off. This, he claims, was done out of the mistaken, anti-Semitic belief that the Jews controlled business and turned the wheels of history--in other words they were one of us--rather than a recognition of the rightness of their cause. Be this as it may, it is at best a partial explanation. Prior to the Second World War, Britain was on the verge of handing over Palestine to the Arabs and Segev completely downplays the impact of Western war guilt over the Holocaust that led to a huge growth in support for an independent Israeli state at the expense of Palestinian rights. Even so, One Palestine, Complete offers a thoughtful and dramatic account of the evolution of two nationalist movements that seem destined never to be reconciled. With a past like this, what hope is there for the future? * John Crace, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW * New and remarkable ... this excellent book * SUNDAY TIMES * Wonderfully readable and humane * INDEPENDENT *

About this edition

• Publisher: Little Brown & Co
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0316648590
• ISBN 13: 9780316648592
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 512