The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities

By: Simha Flapan

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Synopsis: In this ground-breaking and controversial history of the founding of Israel, noted Israeli scholar and peace activist Simha Flapan gives us the first true account of one of the most momentous political events of the century. Drawing on recently declassified material--from Ben-Gurion's war diaries to the minutes of secret meetings--Flapan reconstructs the real events of that critical time. Behind the received historical truths--that the Zionists welcomed the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state; that the Palestinians fled Israel despite the efforts of Jewish leaders to get them to stay; that when after a miraculous victory in 1948 Israel extended its hand in peace not a single Arab leader responded--Flapan finds instead propaganda myths that have misguided Israeli policy to this day. Eye-opening and bold, full of unsettling revelations, The Birth of Israel offers fresh hope for understanding today's tragic Arab-Israeli stalemate, and for moving toward a solution.