Ilan Pappé - Israel

Israel is not the only new state around, but it is one of the few states whose legitimacy is still questioned, and its future affects the future of the Middle East as a whole and probably the stability of the international system. The reasons for this unique reality lie in its past and the particular historical circumstances of its birth.

This book seeks to update analysis of the political history, contemporary politics, economics and foreign policy of this unique state. The first part of the book provides a general history of Israel since its inception until 2000. This general history evolves around the political development of the state, beginning with its origins in the early Zionist history (18821948) and ending with the turn of the century. The second part focuses on three contemporary aspects of present-day Israel: its political economy, its culture and its international relations. An epilogue describes Israels complex international image today and its impact on the state and its future.

Providing a solid infrastructure from which readers can form their own opinions, this book offers a fresh perspective on developments both on the ground and in recent scholarship, and is essential reading for students, journalists and policy makers with an interest in Middle Eastern History, Jewish Studies and Israel Studies.

Ilan Papp is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies.

THE CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST

Edited by

Professor Anoushiravan Ehteshami

Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Durham

For well over a century now the Middle East and North Africa countries have formed a central plank of the international system. The Contemporary Middle East Series provides the first systematic attempt at studying the key actors of this dynamic, complex, and strategically important region. Using an innovative common format which in each case study provides an easily-digestible analysis of the origins of the state, its contemporary politics, economics and international relations prominent Middle East experts have been brought together to write definitive studies of the MENA regions key countries.

For a full list of titles: www.routledge.com/middleeaststudies/series/CME

Books in the series

Morocco: Challenges to Tradition and Modernity

James N. Sater

Tunisia: Stability and Reform in the Modern Maghreb

Christopher Alexander

Libya: Continuity and Change

Ronald Bruce St John

Lebanon: The Politics of a Penetrated Society

Tom Najem

Libya: Continuity and Change 2nd Edition

Ronald Bruce St John

Morocco: Challenges to tradition and modernity 2nd Edition

James N. Sater

Tunisia: From stability to revolution in the Maghreb 2nd Edition

Christopher Alexander

The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics and Policymaking

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

Iran: Stuck in Transition

Anoushiravan Ehteshami

Israel

Ilan Papp

First published 2018

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2018 Ilan Papp

The right of Ilan Papp to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Names: Pappe, Ilan, author.

Title: Israel / Ilan Pappe

Other titles: Contemporary Middle East (Routledge (Firm))

Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Series: The contemporary Middle East | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017056718| ISBN 9781138887183 (hbk) | ISBN 1138887188 (hbk) | ISBN 9781138887190 (pbk) | ISBN 1138887196 (pbk) | ISBN 9781315714318 (ebk)

Subjects: LCSH: Israel--History. | Israel--Politics and government. | Israel--Civilization. | Israel--Economic conditions. | Israel--Foreign relations.

Classification: LCC DS102.95 .P36 2018 | DDC 956.94--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017056718

ISBN: 978-1-138-88718-3 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-88719-0 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-71431-8 (ebk)

The aim of this book is to provide a new entry to the Routledge Contemporary Middle East series. The realities in Israel have changed dramatically since the last volume of this kind was produced and the historiography about and on Israel has also undergone some significant transformations. Both the developments on the ground and in the literature on the topic warrant a new book for the wider audience on the history of the state of Israel.

Israel is one of the few states in the world whose modern, indeed, contemporary history is still contested and highly charged. This history and historiography of the state are examined through its political history, its socio-economic development, culture and finally its international standing.

The book conveys two messages. The first is that one cannot understand the present realities in Israel without a historical perspective and secondly that one cannot ignore the contested and inconclusive nature of the historiographical research about the states origins, development and present realties. This book can only provide an infrastructure on the basis of which readers and students can later form their own opinions.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part is a general history of Israel since its inception until 2000. This general history evolves around the political development of the state, beginning with its origins in the early Zionist history (18821948) and ending with the turn of the century. The second part focuses, as is common in this series, on three contemporary aspects of present-day Israel: its political economy, its culture and its international relations. An epilogue describes Israels complex international image today and its impact on the state and its future.

Quite a few states have a contested past and on-going conflicts about their borders, identity and present realties. Israel is also not the only new state around, and will probably not be the last. New states are emerging out of the civil wars that engulf the nation states of Sudan, Iraq and possibly Syria. However, it is one of the few states whose legitimacy is still questioned and its future affects the future of the Middle East as a whole and probably the stability of the international system all together. The reasons for this unique reality lie in Israels past and the particular historical circumstances of its birth.