History of Israel

Ahron Bregman is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, UK. He was a Captain in the Israeli army during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and worked as a parliamentary assistant at the Knesset. Bregman is the author of The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs (1998), the companion book to a six-part BBC television documentary; Elusive Peace (2005), the companion book to a three-at BBC television documentary; Cursed Victory: A History of Israel and the Occupied Territories (2014); and the memoirs The Spy Who Fell to Earth (2022).

'A History of Israel includes new revelations...Bregman reveals new facts never- before-published about the senior Egyptian spy who worked for the Mossad and was nicknamed 'The Son-in-Law' on account of his family ties with President Nasser.' - Rami Tal,Yediot Aharonot 'A History of Israel is a fascinating book. An easy to read understanding of the recent history of Israel. Bregman has a unique insight into the behind the scenes history of Israel and its leaders.' - Jewish Books Online 'Complete with quotes from secret meetings and a drat of a 1992 secret agreement between Israel and Syria, the book is an easy-to-read guide to the politics of the Middle East.' - Jewish Chronicle 'Ahron Bregman's newly released book A History of Israel is a fascinating book. An easy to read understanding of the recent history of Israel. Bregman has a unique insight into the behind the scenes history of Israel and its leaders. Highly recommended both as a gift and required reading.' - Jewish Books Online 'A balanced examination of Israel's past...New insights, revelations appearing in print for the first time, and portraits of Israel leaders, past and present, are adeptly woven together with and overview of major events. This incisive book will be welcomed by all with an interest in the history of Israel.' - Middle East 'New insights, revelations appearing in print for the first time, and portraits of Israeli leaders, past and present, are adeptly woven together with an overview of major events. This incisive book will be welcomed by all with an interest in the history of Israel.' - Middle East 'Writing about an area as steeped in controversy as Israel can be a daunting task. Bregman, who has written extensively on Israeli history, does an excellent job in this text of offering unbiased and authoritative descriptions of the causes and consequences of the various conflicts that have arisen between the Israelis and the Arabs. Bregman takes looks at the history of Israel from a purely secular perspective, yet he does so without denigrating relious Jews, and others, who see the founding of the modern stated of Israel as the fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy...Into his compelling and historical narrative, Bregman has seamlessly interwoven newly uncovered information about Israel's past, as well as brief sketches of the major political figures that had a hand in shaping Israeli history...A History of Israel is ideal for the general reader wishing to learn about Israeli history in general, and as a resource by which to understand the current conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians...Overall, Bregman presents a comprehensive and readable introduction to modern Israeli history that is both educational and enthralling.' - Anna Dogole, The Jewish Eye 'A good read.' - Carmel Vassallo, Journal of Mediterranean Studies

• List of mapsPrefaceThe Road to Statehood, 1897 1947The Birth of Israel, 1948-1949Years of Consolidation, 1950-1966The Six Day War and Afterwards, 1967-1973Yom Kippur War and the Death of Labour, 1973-1977Begin's Years, 1977-1983The Road to Peace, 1983-1991Peace and War, 1992 to PresentAppendix 1: The Liberty Affair, 1967Appendix 2: The Dayan el-Tohami Protocol, 1977Appendix 3: Draft Declaration of Principles, Israel-Syria, 1992Further ReadingIndex.