Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: A big, thick book that I could not put down. A history of Israel from its inception till today. You find out how Israel came to be, how the PLO was started; Why Israel has to fight for its life. Why there will never be peace in this part of the world until the Arab influence is irradicated. Learn of Jewish desporia influence in this part of the world, Jewish government and how it works. Worth every penny. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Know the facts, then form an opinion
Review: America has become increasingly involved in the tensions in the Middle East and American military and civilians are increasingly at risk of retaliation. I felt it important to understand the history of the region and the issues that led to the deadly conflict. The information provided these last 25 years by the American media seemed biased and I wanted to know both sides of the story. Although history books can be biased too, I found Howard Sachar's account to be thorough, verifiable and straightforward to read. In addition to providing historical information, he painted a clear picture of the people involved in the conflict and the role of the US in building and supporting Israel. Although by the end of the book it is possible to discern his dovish opinion, I feel that he succeeded in presenting a fair account of the events. Since our country has taken such an active role in the Middle East, it is our duty as Americans to understand the conflict, form educated opinions, and make our opinions known to our elected officials. Howard Sachar's book is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: An Extremely Comprehensive and Fairly Balanced History
Review: An exhaustive volume covering from the first aliyah in the 1880s through the murder of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Sachar adopts a moderate to liberal Israeli stance, admiring early Maipai and Labor leaders Ben-Gurion, Peres, and Rabin. On the other hand, he is unremittingly critical of Likud leadership as well as the influence of the Orthodox and charedim in Israeli society.Readers should keep in mind that this tome is a history of Israel, and not of the conflict with the Arab States and Palestinians; while it does an excellent job revealing Israeli ideology regarding the conflict, it spends far less time discussing Arab thinking and motivation. Even so, it does not mince words in criticism of Israeli militarism, particularly that of current prime minister Ariel Sharon. An outstanding, extremely readable history of the Jewish state.
Rating:
Summary: Great big book for a great little country
Review: Besides being the heaviest book I've read in a very long time, A History of Israel, by Howard Sachar, is probably among the most useful anyone will find on that subject. Let's face it, in today's world the subject of Israel still comes up a lot, far more than one might expect for such a small country. And in an atmosphere in which fifty seven percent of people polled list Israel as the greatest threat to world peace, an educated person cannot afford to be ignorant on the matter. Israel is a great country. And like all great countries (like most countries, actually) it has a right to exist. Its history extends back quite some time before its founding. If you doubt this, or know someone who does, than the early chapters on Zionism and Jewish migration into Palestine will be invaluable. Want to know just how the Jews came to inhabit the land? Was it a land grab? Theft? Acquisition by conquest? The answer is no, and you can get the details here. What is Israel like? What is its culture? Economics? Daily Life? How about religion? They're Jews, but how devout are they? What power does the rabbinate have? What arts and sciences flourish, or fail to, in Israel? These are also covered, often, and in detail. Israel has fought five major wars in its short life. Why? Who started them? How did Israel respond? Did these wars exist in a vacuum, or are they part of an ongoing antagonism against Israel from its Arab neighbors? What actually happened in the Six Day War? Just how did the occupation come to be? All of these issues are examined in detail. Who runs Israel? What is the party structure? What do they believe? How does Israel relate to other countries, and how has this changed over the years? What about the United States? Is Israel really the fifty-first state? Again, these are all issues dealt with in detail. The operative word here is detail. With over a thousand pages of small font text, Sachar can cover everything he wishes and go as deep as he desires. This is a history text, not a polemic essay. The point is to show Israel for what it is, avoiding the pitfalls that await anyone writing about the most controversial country every to exist. To the extant that Sachar has taken any sides, it would probably be with the Labor party and against the Likud party. As far as Israel's relations with the Arab countries go, he has stated things as they happen. It may be a surprise to many, but Israel has a really good record vis-Ã -vis the treatment of Arabs and they owe no excuses to anyone over their presence in the world. So although the book is formidable and very, very long, it is clear and relevant to today's world. If you'd like to get past the shouting and name-calling and really find out about the country, this is the place to look.
Rating:
Summary: The most definitive account on the subject available
Review: For those seeking to understand Israeli history there is no better place to turn. While numerous books deal with the Arab-Israeli conflict, few deal with the internal development of Israel. This book explains the processes that led to the rise of Zionism, the building of the pre-state infrastructure, and the growth of the Israeli republic. But foreign affairs are not in the least overlooked, and occupy a great deal of space. In this latest version, Sachar has corrected some of his earlier errors, and deals with the Arabs and Palestinians in a more even-handed manner. While not the easiest book to read, or most concise, it is still the best book available for those seeking to understand Israel, inside and out.
Rating:
Summary: Not unhappy.
Review: I bought this book based upon its reviews and wish to comment. I agree with all that previous reviewers have presented. It is an excellent book that did answer my questions about Israel and its problems today, and why there is so much dissension in this area. It is a thick book, well written and complete. A buy recommend. Jimmy
Rating:
Summary: An excellent historical tome and a very interesting read!
Review: Sachar's tome A History of Israel is both complete and a great read. Not being a formal teacher or student of history (this is just a hobby), I wanted a complete book that presented the issues of the Middle East objectively and completely. Sachar's book does that very well. Although some parts of it can be difficult to get through, particularly the economic issues, the book is simple to read and not overly convoluted. It presents the history of this important country in a very thorough manner, barely missing any important issues. Perhaps my only criticism is that it is somewhat one-sided. It deals with Arab issues well, but since it is a history of Israel, it focuses more on the Israeli side of things. It certainly is not a book about the emotional trials of the refugees -- instead it is meant as an objective documentation of fact. People looking for an op/ed piece will not find it hear. It does, however, manage to present the major mistakes Israel has made as well as many of the shocking atrocities committed in the name of the Jewish state. I was looking for a book to answer the question -- where did this conflict start? Where did Arabs and Jews go wrong in their relations that has led us to this point? A History of Israel answered this question and many, many more. It is by far the best book about Israel that I have read and I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent historical tome and a very interesting read!
Review: Sachar's tome A History of Israel is both complete and a great read. Not being a formal teacher or student of history (this is just a hobby), I wanted a complete book that presented the issues of the Middle East objectively and completely. Sachar's book does that very well. Although some parts of it can be difficult to get through, particularly the economic issues, the book is simple to read and not overly convoluted. It presents the history of this important country in a very thorough manner, barely missing any important issues. Perhaps my only criticism is that it is somewhat one-sided. It deals with Arab issues well, but since it is a history of Israel, it focuses more on the Israeli side of things. It certainly is not a book about the emotional trials of the refugees -- instead it is meant as an objective documentation of fact. People looking for an op/ed piece will not find it hear. It does, however, manage to present the major mistakes Israel has made as well as many of the shocking atrocities committed in the name of the Jewish state. I was looking for a book to answer the question -- where did this conflict start? Where did Arabs and Jews go wrong in their relations that has led us to this point? A History of Israel answered this question and many, many more. It is by far the best book about Israel that I have read and I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: Nobody comes away with clean hands
Review: Some the reviewers here have called this book "one-sided", or too sympathetic to Israel. Maybe they stopped reading after the first three hundred or so of more than a thousand pages, which recount the roots of Zionism in the European persections of Jews in past centuries, and the struggle of the early settlers to keep the land they had paid for and cultivated. As a historian Sachar abstaines from moralizing judgements, but nobody comes away with clean hands in the tale he tells; not the "world powers" using Isreal and the Arab countries in their grand schemes, not the early Israeli goverments that denied Palestinian refugees the right to return, not later governments who pursued policies of disenfranchisement on the West Bank, not military leaders like Ariel Sharon who were responsible for atrocities against civilians, not ultra-Orthodox settlers unwilling to live in peace with non-Jews (in a rare slip Sachar calls them "God-intoxicated"). The one thing curiously missing from this book describing an essentially religious conflict, though, is an analysis of just what it is in the two religions involved that makes it so difficult for the two sides to find a way to live, if not together, then at least side by side in peace. Not a single paragraph of the book addresses such questions, so interested readers may decide to read the Old Testament as well as the Koran if they have not already done so - even if neither of the two scriptures gives much reason for hope that the conflict can be solved as long as religious thought dominates the Middle East.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody comes away with clean hands
Review: Some the reviewers here have called this book "one-sided", or too sympathetic to Israel. Maybe they stopped reading after the first three hundred or so of more than a thousand pages, which recount the roots of Zionism in the European persections of Jews in past centuries, and the struggle of the early settlers to keep the land they had paid for and cultivated. As a historian Sachar abstaines from moralizing judgements, but nobody comes away with clean hands in the tale he tells; not the "world powers" using Isreal and the Arab countries in their grand schemes, not the early Israeli goverments that denied Palestinian refugees the right to return, not later governments who pursued policies of disenfranchisement on the West Bank, not military leaders like Ariel Sharon who were responsible for atrocities against civilians, not ultra-Orthodox settlers unwilling to live in peace with non-Jews (in a rare slip Sachar calls them "God-intoxicated"). The one thing curiously missing from this book describing an essentially religious conflict, though, is an analysis of just what it is in the two religions involved that makes it so difficult for the two sides to find a way to live, if not together, then at least side by side in peace. Not a single paragraph of the book addresses such questions, so interested readers may decide to read the Old Testament as well as the Koran if they have not already done so - even if neither of the two scriptures gives much reason for hope that the conflict can be solved as long as religious thought dominates the Middle East.
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