Benny Morris is professor of history in the Middle East Studies Department of Ben-Gurion University, Israel. He is the leading figure among Israel’s “New Historians,” who over the past two decades have reshaped our understanding of the Israeli-Arab conflict. His books include Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881–2001; Israel’s Border Wars, 1949–1956; and The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited.
“A commanding, superbly documented, and fair-minded study of the
events that . . . gave a sovereign home to one people and
dispossessed another. . . . What is so striking about Morris’s work
. . . is that it does not flatter anyone’s prejudices.”—David
Remnick, New Yorker
“Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly,
evenhandedly and exhaustively. . . . An authoritative and
fair-minded account of an epochal and volatile event. He has
reconstructed that event with scrupulous exactitude.”—David
Margolick, New York Times Book Review
“When it comes to interpreting the history they shared in 1947–49,
Arabs and Israelis subscribe to two radically different narratives.
. . . One of the many achievements of this admirable book is to
help readers understand why each narrative commands such authority
and why they remain so stubbornly irreconcilable.”—Andrew Bacevich,
Boston Globe
“An ambitious, detailed and engaging portrait of the war
itself—from its origins to its unresolved aftermath—that further
shatters myths on both sides of the Israeli-Arab divide.”—Glenn
Frankel, Washington Post Book World
“Morris’s account seems admirable, because he is unafraid of
upsetting both camps. . . . His commitment to the pursuit of
historical truth deserves as much admiration as his dismay at Arab
intransigence commands sympathy. . . . Morris’s book is no mere
military narrative, but a crisp, vivid introduction to the
historical tragedy of Palestine.”—Max Hastings, Sunday Times
“Morris, born in 1948, is among a group of Israeli ‘new historians’
whose work has challenged the traditional, accepted line of the
birth of Israel. In this well-researched book, he strives for
balance.”—Billy Heller, New York Post
Selected as one of the best books of 2008 by the Washington Post in
the World category
“Morris’ . . . new book, impeccably timed to coincide with our 60th
anniversary, is notable for its insistence that the religious
dimension of Arab opposition to Jewish sovereignty, the rejection
of Israel as an ‘infidel’ and ‘alien’ presence, was overwhelming
from the earliest days of the struggle for statehood—and was
underestimated by Israel’s leaders from the earliest days,
too.”—David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post
“Magisterial. . . . A densely researched, richly textured, nuanced
book brimming with discerning analysis and telling details. . . .
It will be mandatory reading for the foreseeable future.”—Sheldon
Kirshner, Canadian Jewish News
“Likely to become the most definitive study of the first
Arab-Israeli war. On each and every facet of the conflict—military
strategy, human rights abuses, the refugee crisis, diplomacy, and
propaganda—it is an extraordinary tour de force.”—Shlomo Ben-Ami,
Foreign Affairs
“Morris offers a study of Israel’s war of independence, effectively
debunking many of the myths surrounding it. . . . He meticulously
documents the expulsions and atrocities that occurred on both
sides. His work demonstrates that passion, not polemic, about this
controversial era leads to good history. Recommended for all
libraries.”—Library Journal
“A considerable achievement, meticulously detailing and analyzing
both Israel’s war of Independence, on the one hand, and its mirror
Palestinian face: the Catastrophe (al nakba), on the other. For
those who can handle often-uncomfortable facts, this volume is a
must read. . . . A courageous narrative.”—Michael Bell, Toronto
Globe and Mail
Winner of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award in the category of
History, presented by the Jewish Book Council
“This is the best book by far on the war of 1948.”—Benjamin Kedar,
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
“This is a wonderful contribution to the historiography of the
Israel/Palestine War of 1948. Morris has written a fresh account,
substantiated by a lot of new documentation.”—Ronald W. Zweig, New
York University
"A commanding, superbly documented, and fair-minded study of the
events that, in the wake of the Holocaust, gave a sovereign home to
one people and dispossessed another. . . . What is so striking
about Morris's work as a historian is that it does not flatter
anyone's prejudices, least of all his own."-David Remnick, New
Yorker
"Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly,
evenhandedly and exhaustively. . . . An authoritative and
fair-minded account of an epochal and volatile event. He has
reconstructed that event with scrupulous exactitude."-David
Margolick, New York Times Book Review
"Morris's account seems admirable, because he is unafraid of
upsetting both camps. . . . His commitment to the pursuit of
historical truth deserves as much admiration as his dismay at Arab
intransigence commands sympathy. . . . Morris's book is no mere
military narrative, but a crisp, vivid introduction to the
historical tragedy of Palestine."-Max Hastings, Sunday
Times
"When it comes to interpreting the history they shared in 1947-49,
Arabs and Israelis subscribe to two radically different narratives.
. . . One of the many achievements of this admirable book is to
help readers understand why each narrative commands such authority
and why they remain so stubbornly irreconcilable."-Andrew Bacevich,
Boston Globe
"An ambitious, detailed and engaging portrait of the war
itself-from its origins to its unresolved aftermath-that further
shatters myths on both sides of the Israeli-Arab divide."-Glenn
Frankel, Washington Post Book World
"Morris, born in 1948, is among a group of Israeli 'new
historians,' whose work has challenged the traditional, accepted
line of the birth of Israel. In this well-researched book, he
strives for balance."-Billy Heller, New York Post (Required
Reading)
"Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly,
evenhandedly and exhaustively. . . . An authoritative and
fair-minded account of an epochal and volatile event."-David
Margolick, New York Times Book Review
"Morris's account seems admirable, because he is unafraid of
upsetting both camps. . . . His commitment to the pursuit of
historical truth deserves as much admiration as his dismay at Arab
intransigence commands sympathy."-Max Hastings, Sunday
Times
Selected as one of the best books of 2008 by the Washington
Post in the World category
"A commanding, superbly documented, and fair-minded study of the
events that . . . gave a sovereign home to one people and
dispossessed another. . . . What is so striking about Morris's work
. . . is that it does not flatter anyone's prejudices. . . ."-David
Remnick, New Yorker
"Morris offers a study of Israel's war of independence, effectively
debunking many of the myths surrounding it. . . . He meticulously
documents the expulsions and atrocities that occurred on both
sides. His work demonstrates that passion, not polemic, about this
controversial era leads to good history. Recommended for all
libraries."-Library Journal
"Morris' . . . new book, impeccably timed to coincide with our 60th
anniversary, is notable for its insistence that the religious
dimension of Arab opposition to Jewish sovereignty, the rejection
of Israel as an 'infidel' and 'alien' presence, was overwhelming
from the earliest days of the struggle for statehood-and was
underestimated by Israel's leaders from the earliest days,
too."-David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post
"Likely to become the most definitive study of the first
Arab-Israeli war. On each and every facet of the conflict-military
strategy, human rights abuses, the refugee crisis, diplomacy, and
propaganda-it is an extraordinary tour de force."-Shlomo Ben-Ami,
Foreign Affairs
Winner of the 2008 National Jewish Book Award in the category of
History, presented by the Jewish Book Council
"This is the best book by far on the war of 1948."-Benjamin Kedar,
Professor of History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"This is a wonderful contribution to the historiography of the Israel/Palestine War of 1948. Morris has written a fresh account, substantiated by a lot of new documentation."-Ronald W. Zweig, Professor of Israel Studies, New York University
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