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Every school and public library should update its resources on the history of Israel with this engagingly written and succinct narrative history from biblical times through 1997. This readable history, based on the most recent scholarship, provides a chronological narrative that examines the political, religious, and social components of Israel's turbulent history. A thorough examination of the events from the Six Day War of 1967 through the struggle for peace in 1997 is of special interest. The work provides a timeline of events in the history of Israel, biographical sketches of key figures in Israeli history, and an annotated bibliography of books of interest to students and general readers.

The prologue gives an overview of the land, its government, resources, and culture. The first few chapters describe the earliest history of the land through the 19th century settlement of European Jews seeking to escape persecution and to build a Jewish state. Following the Holocaust, refugees poured into the region and political and military struggle culminated in the birth of the State of Israel in 1948. Blumberg, an expert on the history of Israel, then details the years of growth and successive wars with Israel's Arab neighbors from 1948 through 1973. In an extended discussion, he examines the political turbulence within Israel from the late 1970s through 1997, Israel's relations with its neighbors and the international community, and the progress and setbacks in the struggle for peace between Israel and the Arabs.