Review of '1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Very sad. Rings true.(21)
English language
Published April 20, 2008
1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War
by Benny Morris
5 stars
(3 reviews)
Review of '1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The most interesting bit of this book was not the overly detailed accounts of specific battles, but rather why the Arab/Muslim world reacted so strongly (e.g., refused to even consider a Jewish state). The 'street' as Morris termed it, essentially forced the hands of what were, at the time, extremely weak leaders in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. This book does not give a good idea of why this happened.
It is excellent at providing a detailed accounting of the specific events that have left us where we are today.
The other interesting thing I gleaned was the relatively tiny amount of fighting that was involved, and the weak armies participating. Most of the 'battles' wouldn't even have rated the name in the Second World War. And it is important to consider just how close the enemy was to the heart of Jewish Palestine. At times Egyptian soldiers were only …
The most interesting bit of this book was not the overly detailed accounts of specific battles, but rather why the Arab/Muslim world reacted so strongly (e.g., refused to even consider a Jewish state). The 'street' as Morris termed it, essentially forced the hands of what were, at the time, extremely weak leaders in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. This book does not give a good idea of why this happened.
It is excellent at providing a detailed accounting of the specific events that have left us where we are today.
The other interesting thing I gleaned was the relatively tiny amount of fighting that was involved, and the weak armies participating. Most of the 'battles' wouldn't even have rated the name in the Second World War. And it is important to consider just how close the enemy was to the heart of Jewish Palestine. At times Egyptian soldiers were only 10 miles from Tel Aviv.
