Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
Israel
General History:
Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar. Lords of the Land: The War Over Israel's Settlements in the Occupied Territories, 1967-2007 (2007)
The Lords of the Land tells the tragic story of the Israeli occupation, and reveals what a catastrophe it has been for both Israel and the Palestinians. Based on years of research, and written by one of Israel's leading historians and one of its best know journalists, this compelling narrative focuses on the settlers themselves.
Shlomo Avineri. The Making of Modern Zionism (1981)
An excellent study of the ideas of 17 Zionist and pre-Zionist thinkers.
Mordechai Bar-On. In Pursuit of Peace: A History of the Israeli Peace Movement(US Institute of Peace Press)1996
Praised by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders alike, Bar-On, a former Israeli parliamentarian and Peace Now activist, offers an insider’s look at the role of the Israeli peace movement leading up to the Rabin-Arafat handshake in 1993. With intimate descriptions of the movement’s groups and major activists, the book is fundamental to understanding contemporary Israeli politics and what lay ahead in the search for peace. 480 pages.
Martin Buber. On Zion: The History of an Idea (1973)
Reflections on Zionism from one of the leading intellectuals of the Yishuv. Buber was an advocate of bi-nationalism in the 1930s.
Mitchell Cohen. Zion & State: Nation, Class and the Shaping of Modern Israel (1992, Expanded Edition)
Historical analysis of the development of Labor Zionism during the Yishuv and the early statehood period.
Alan Dowty. The Jewish State: A Century Later (1998)
A historical analysis of the building of Israeli democracy and the struggles that it has confronted.
Simha Flapan. The Birth of Israel: Myths and Realities (1987)
Early revisionist work by a leading leftist politician addressing many of the myths surrounding the creation of the Israeli state.
Gershom Gorenberg. Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977 (2006)
Examines the evolution of Israeli policy toward settlement of the territories conquered in the Six Day War.
Yoram Hazony. The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel’s Soul (2000)
A right-wing intellectual response to the post-Zionist critique of Israel. Probably the most comprehensive right-wing critique of postZionism.
Theodor Herzl. The Jewish State (Dover) 1989In Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), Herzl, the father of political Zionism, describes his vision for a Jewish state. Originally published in 1896 – two years after the Dreyfus affair – Herzl argued that only when the Jews achieved sovereignty in the their own state would they finally be accepted in the world. 160 pages.
Ephraim Karsh. Fabricating Israeli History: The ‘New Historians’ (Rev, 2000)
Karsh sharply critiques the Revisionist historiography of Shlaim, Morris, and Segev.
Walter Laqueur. A History of Zionism: From the French Revolution to the Establishment of the State of Israel (Schocken) 2003
Renowned historian Walter Laqueur constructs a broad historical context for understanding the challenges currently facing Israel. The book explores its topics with great depth and analysis, including the differences between the various Zionist philosophies of the early 20th century, seminal Zionist leaders, the early movement’s religious and secular critics, and the missed opportunities for co-xistence with the Arabs of Palestine and the region. 640 pages.
Peter Medding. The Founding of Israeli Democracy, 1948-1967 (1990)
A study of the development of Israeli democracy during the early decades of the Israeli state.
Conor Cruise O’Brien. The Siege: The Saga of Israel and Zionism (1986)
History of Arab-Israeli conflict by noted Irish journalist and diplomat - considered sympathetic to the Israeli perspective.
Howard Sachar. A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time (Knopf) 1996
Originally published in 1976, this revised and expanded edition is a comprehensive look at the early development of the State of Israel to events leading up to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Sachar pays particular notice to the differences between the rhetoric of Zionist nationalism and the process of political decision making in the modern State of Israel. 1184 pages.
Anita Shapira. Land and Power: The Zionist Resort to Force, 1881-1948 (Stanford University Press) 1992
How did the early Zionist pioneers gradually come to accept the use of armed force as an acceptable means to achieve a sovereign Jewish state? Shapira offers a fascinating account of the changing Zionist attitude toward power and arms in the pre-State period, drawing on Zionist archives as well as popular pre-State poetry, songs, and writings. 464 pages.
Ariel Sharon w/ David Chanoff. Warrior (1989)
The autobiography of Israel’s controversial general and right-wing Prime Minister describing his career as a soldier and defending his role in the controversial 1982 Sabra and Shatilia Massacres.
Ehud Sprinzak. The Ascendance of Israel’s Radical Right (1991)
Important historical study of the rising power of the radical religious right within Israel.
Ehud Sprinzak. Brother Against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination (1999)
A leading political scientist describes one of the darker sides of Israeli history, the history of Jewish-on-Jewish violence – particularly right-wing violence.
Memoir and Biography
Menachem Begin. Revolt (1978)
The late Israeli Likud Prime Minister’s memoir of the Jewish revolt against the British from 1944-1948. Begin was the leader of the Irgun, an underground militia.
Yoram Binur, My Enemy, My Self (1989)
Binur, an Israeli Sephardic Jew, spent several months living undercover as an Israeli Arab - his story is fascinating and disturbing. e also spent time living as an Arab in the occupied territories.
Louis Brandeis. Brandeis on Zionism: A Collection of Addresses and Statements (1976)
A collection of the Zionist writings of US Supreme Court Justice and leading early American advocate of Zionism.
Moshe Dayan. Moshe Dayan: The Story of My Life (1976)
Combination memoir and military history by Israel’s famous one-eyed soldier/politician.
Abba Eban. Personal Witness: Israel Through My Eyes (1992)
Autobiography of the former Israeli Foreign Minister and UN Ambassador. Eban also made a 5-hour PBS documentary called Israel:A Nation is Born.”
Marcia Freedman. Exile in the Promised Land (1990)
Memoir of former Meretz Knesset member and American-Israeli feminist. Freedman is currently the President of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom.
Yehoshafat Harkabi. Israel’s Fateful Hour (1988)
The former Chief of Israeli Military intelligence who evolved from a hardliner into an early advocate of Palestinian Statehood.
Ze’ev Jabotinsky. The Political and Social Philosophy of Ze'ev Jabotinsky: Selected Writings (1999)
A recent collection of the writings of the founder of the right-wing Revisionist Zionist movement.
Adam Kellner. Terrible Days: Social Divisions and Political Paradoxes in Israel (1987)
Memoir of Israeli peace activist who went to jail for refusing to fight in the Lebanon War.
Benjamin Netanyahu. A Durable Peace: Israel and Its Place Among the Nations (2000)
Revised and updated edition of the memoir of the former and possibly future Israeli Likud Prime Minister explaining his views of Israel and its place in the world.
Shimon Peres. The New Middle East (1993) The former Labor Prime Minister, and father of Oslo, describes his idealistic visionofthe future of the peace process.
Yitzhak Rabin. The Rabin Memoirs (Expanded edition, 1996)
A memoir written by the late Prime Minister covering his early career including some revealing passages (censored in the original publication) about his role in uprooting the Arab villages of Lod and Ramle during Israel’s War of Independence.
Shabtai Teveth. Ben-Gurion and the Palestinian Arabs: From Peace to War (1985)
Teveth describes in detail the attitudes of the founder of the Israeli state towards the Palestinian Arabs.
Shabtai Teveth. Ben-Gurion: The Burning Ground, 1886-1948 (1987)
Biography of the founder of the Israeli state by his official biographer.
Martin Van Creveld. The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force (1998)
A detailed history by a leading military historian of the Israeli Defense Forces - and its predecessors during the Yishuv - from 1907-1997.
Culture and History
Yehuda Ben-Meir. Civil-Military Relations in Israel (1995)
Study of the relationship between the Israeli military and civilian authorities.
Richard Ben Cramer, How Israel Lost (2004) Past winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Middle East coverage, Cramer asserts that the occupation has corrupted both Jewish and Arab societies.
Boas Evron, James Diamond. Jewish State or Israeli Nation (1995)
Analysis of the conflicts between Israel as a secular state and a religious nation.
Yaron Ezrahi. Rubber Bullets: Power and Conscience in Modern Israel (1997)
A fascinating semi-autobiographical analysis that delves into the Israeli mindset and the difficulties of dealing with Jews having power for the first time in generations.
Baruch Kimmerling. The Invention and Decline of Israeliness: State, Society, and the Military (2001)
Recent analysis of the creation and current fracturing of Israel identity.
Jacob Landau. The Arab Minority in Israel, 1967-1991 (1993)
Excellent study of the status of Arabs living in Israel.
Charles S. Liebman, Eliezer Don-Yehiya. Civil Religion in Israel: Traditional Judaism and Political Culture in the Jewish State (1983); Religion and Politics in Israel (1984)
Analyses of the use of Judaism in Israel as a pillar of Israel’s civic culture.
Ian Lustick, Arabs in a Jewish State: Israel’s Control of a National Minority (1980)
Description of how Israel has managed to maintain peaceful relations with its Arab minority for many decades.
Jerome M. Segal, Shlomit Levy, Nadar Izzat Sa’id, Elihu Katz. Negotiating Jerusalem (2000)
An in-depth study of how Israelis and Palestinians see Jerusalem and the possibilities that exist around a negotiated solution.
Tom Segev. Elvis in Jerusalem: Post Zionism and the Americanization of Israel (2002)
Segev analyzes Israel’s Americanization and concludes that Zionism is fading.Tom Segev. 1949: The First Israelis (1986)
Early re-examination of the issues surrounding Israel’s founding by an important Israeli journalist and historian.
Laurence J. Silberstein. The Post-Zionism Debates: Knowledge and Power in Israeli Culture (1999)
Useful discussion of the debate within Israeli society over the future of Israeli identity as a Jewish state or a state of its citizens.
Miscellaneous
Yaakov Ariel. On Behalf of Israel: American Fundamentalist Attitudes Towards Jews, Judaism, and Zionism, 1865-1945 (1991)
Academic study of the Christian fundamentalist attitudes supporting Jews and Zionism.
Roane Carey, Jonathan Shainin (Editors). The Other Israel: Voices of Refusal and Dissent (2002) Collection of essays by leading Israeli peace activists, academics, and politicians speaking out against the Sharon government. Includes essays by David Grossman, Amira Hass, Avi Shlaim, Ilan Pappe, Gideon Levy, Meron Benvenisti, Neve Gordon, Shulamit Aloni, Baruch Kimmerling, Ami Ayalon, Ze'ev Sternhell, Gila Svirsky, and Uri Avnery.
Avner Cohen. Israel and the Bomb (1998)
Currently the best work available on Israel’s acquisition of nuclear weapons and the US role in the process.
Gershom Gorenberg. The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount (War.2002)
An Israeli journalist explores the dangers that emerge from the apocalyptic obsession of Christian Fundamentalists with Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Shulamit Har-even. The Vocabulary of Peace (1995)
Essays by a leading Israeli literary figure on numerous subjects.
Seymour Hersch. The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy (1991)
A prominent investigative journalist examines the history of Israel’s nuclear development and its connections to American foreign policy.
John Miller, Aaron Kenedi (Editors). Inside Israel: Three Faiths, The People, and the Modern Conflicts of the World’s Holiest Land (2002) Reprinted essays by many leading scholars that provide a good introduction to the basic history and daily life in Israel and the occupied territories and the peace process. Essays by David Shipler, Karen Armstrong, Paul Johnson, Meron Benvenisti, David Grossman, Saul Bellow, P.J. O’Rourke, Uri Savir, Anthony Lewis, and Edward Said.
Amos Oz, In the Land of Israel (1993); Israel, Palestine, and Peace: Essays (1995)
A famous Israeli writer reflects in these books of essays on numerous aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict.