Arie Shavit, journalist and pundit for the left-leaning Israeli newspaper, Ha’aretz, offers a very personal history of Zionism and the State of Israel. He recounts this history in a series of themed chapters covering different periods, rather than through a continuous narrative. It’s history with a point of view. According to Shavit, the Zionist enterprise was essential for saving the Jewish people from annihilation in Europe and, even today, from assimilation in North America. It resulted in the dynamic, spirited society that Israel is today. However, there is a tragedy at the heart of the it: the State of Israel could not have been born or developed as it has if it hadn’t been for brutal attacks against Palestinians in 1948 that eliminated many villages and drove their inhabitants out. The enmity resulting from this creates dangers and insecurity for this otherwise prosperous state.Shavit argues that for the first 30 years, Israel made strides in absorbing a phenomenal number of Jewish immigrants, won several wars, and protected the country against its neighbors by becoming, against all odds, the world’s fifth nuclear power. However, Israel’s insistence, particularly from 1977 on, on occupying and settling the West Bank, endangered the country. Instead of appearing to the world as one country standing against hostile neighbors, Israel is now seen as an occupying power that is oppressing another people. The tragedy of Zionism, which results, according to Shavit, from the 1948 war, was largely dormant for decades but has reignited and poses greater danger now that Israel is an occupying power.Shavit’s lively account does bring to light many of the dynamic forces that have animated Israeli life and have provided security to the country. He also illuminates varied viewpoints within the society by devoting chapters, for example to interviews with Aryeh Deri, the charismatic leader of Shas, the religious party that represents much of the Oriental Jewish community, with leftist thinkers such as Yossi Beilin, and with prominent Israeli Arab leaders. Ultimately, Shavit concludes the book (in typical Jewish fashion, I suppose) with an outburst of worry regarding the future of Israel. Successive generations of secular minded Jews devoted their energy to first, settling—and taming--the land; second, employing ingenuity and daring to defend the country; and third, developing an extraordinary high tech industry. At this point, the secular Jews are on their way to becoming a minority in the country, and the nation is splintered into different camps, each with its own agenda. The government is dysfunctional and there is no longer a national sense of purpose. Furthermore, Iran’s nuclear ambitions pose a grave threat to the country’s security. The Iranians have been playing from the same playbook that the Israelis originally used when they developed their nuclear weapon. According to Shavit, successive Israeli leaders and the United States have buried their heads in the sand regarding this threat, and only one leader—Bibi Netanyahu, has treated it seriously. Bibi, however, overplayed his hand. He wanted American support for military action against Iran and to keep the West Bank settlements status quo. In insisting on having both, he alienated the Obama administration. Lately, the Western powers finally are getting their act together in dealing with Iran, but now it may be too late!Whether you accept Shavit’s conclusions or not, this is a very readable and informative book. The stories of Israeli brutality and ethnic cleansing during the 1948 war (in response, it should be noted, to Arab provocation but also to some degree, the outgrowth of a nationalist, "us or them" mindset) are important. Shavit accepts them as the birth pangs of the country that he loves, not unlike those of other nations, but they are responsible, he says, both for the insecurity that Israel experiences and for Israelis’ sense of living on the edge that propels their high energy way of living. Not bad. Meeting the author was also pretty interesting.His philosophy and conclusions are funky, and are difficult to agree with IMHO. He believes in collective and hereditary guilt. He believes in self sacrifice.He also doesn't offer much in terms of concrete solutions; only abstract statements, such as "we need to have a serious national conversation about...", or "Israeli Arabs need to be integrated into the society...".On the other hand, Shavit touches on the most important aspects of Israeli society, and the historical perspective is interesting and enlightening.
What do You think about Hazám, Az ígéret Földje (2013)?
This might be my 2014 book of the year. 2012 was Matterhorn and 2013 was The Orphan a Master's Son
—Kathy
Thought provoking, educational and informative.
—Allyson
