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Synopsis
In 1948 the world witnessed an extraordinary event: the birth of Israel. Ater two millennia as a stateless people scattered across the globe and frequently persecuted by the societies in which they lived-most tragically during the Holocaust of World War II-Jews finally had a homeland. And the New Jersey-sized country was in Palestine, the ancestral land of the Jewish people. In the years since 1948, Israel has become the Middle East's most powerful, and most democratic, country.
But the foundation and defense of the Jewish state ultimately came at the expense of a state for the Palestinians, another people with ancient ties to Palestine. For decades Israeli and Palestinian blood has stained the land, a string of peace initiatives collapsing amid the seemingly endless cycle of attack and retaliation. Resolving the conflict in a manner that preserves Israel's security remains an elusive goal not just for Israel, but also for the many countries with interests in the strategic Middle East, including the United States.
Elisabeth Greenberg - Children's Literature
This balanced consideration of the modern state of Israel notes the continued existence of tensions within and without the country. Even in discussion of land and geography, problems of water ownership and usage and strained relationships with neighbors are mentioned. The sophisticated history section includes two perspectives-the modern nation-state and the movement of civilizations through this territory since pre-biblical times. The author recognizes that Jews often chose to remain separate from other cultures in order to preserve particular religious tradition and that other cultures also refused to accept the Jews, often persecuting them in Europe because of their economic success; this conflict was reiterated with the formation of Israel within a circle of Arab/Muslim states. As a planned nation state, Israel is unique, but continues to contend with an internal conflict between those who want a religious and those who want a secular state. By not avoiding the complex issues in the Middle East and Israel's fragile position among hostile neighbors, this book will deepen student's understanding of both modern history and Israel. Maps do not share a common scale, sometimes making it difficult to understand Israel's changing borders. 2004, Mason Crest Publishers, Ages 12 up.