Topicality is never an issue where Israel and the Palestinians are concerned. The arguments--not to mention bloodshed--over Jewish and Muslim nationhood and land rights have been going on for centuries and, whatever the best intentions of the current peace process, they will probably go on for centuries to come. Both parties fanatically believe they have an inalienable historical right to statehood on the land in question and both regard Jerusalem as a holy city. As befits the disenfranchised, the Palestinians are slightly more open to a negotiated settlement, but the Israelis remain intransigent about handing over any but the most inhospitable of scrubland and the impasse remains. In the battle between the bullets and the ballot box, the bullets are winning hands-down.

Tom Segev is one of Israel's most notable historians and journalists--one of the few to strive for any sense of objectivity in his writings--so a new book by him is always worth waiting for. One Palestine, Complete is a detailed account of Palestine under British rule from 1917 to 1948, the critical period in the modern history of the region that led up to the creation of the state of Israel. Segev begins by carefully detailing Britain's well-known inconsistencies in dealing with both the Jews and the Arabs--to both of whom it had appeared to promise, if not the world, at least the country after independence was granted--and goes on to make a convincing case that because Palestine fell into the category of an emotional rather than self-interested colonial possession, the Brits hoped the situation would unwind to everyone's advantage.

Where Segev departs from the historical norm is in his assertions that whatever the British may have said to the Palestinians, their actions were uncompromisingly pro-Zionist from the start. This, he claims, was done out of the mistaken, anti-Semitic belief that the Jews controlled business and turned the wheels of history, rather than from a recognition of the rightness of their cause. Be this as it may, it is at best a partial explanation. Before World War II, Britain was on the verge of handing over Palestine to the Arabs, and Segev completely downplays the impact of Western war guilt over the Holocaust that led to a huge growth in support for an independent Israeli state at the expense of Palestinian rights.

Even so, One Palestine, Complete offers a thoughtful and dramatic account of the evolution of two nationalist movements that seem destined never to be reconciled. With a past like this, what hope is there for the future? --John Crace, Amazon.co.uk


From Publishers Weekly
"The British entered Palestine to defeat the Turks; they stayed there to keep it from the French; then they gave it to the Zionists because they loved 'the Jews' even as they loathed them, at once admired and despised them, and above all feared them. They were not guided by strategic considerations, and there was no orderly decision-making process," claims Segev in revealing the thrust of his argument that the contemporary problems between the Arabs and the Jews over the issue of a promised homeland were exacerbated by the interventions of the British empire between the two world wars. Segev, author of the well-known and highly controversial books 1949 and The Seventh Million, is one of the "new historians" who have revised and demythologized the history of modern Israel. The reason the British feared the Zionists, Segev maintains, was that they believed that the Jews had inordinate political power around the world. Moreover, he suggests that the Arab rebellions of the late 1930s were instrumental in convincing the British to leave the reins to the Jewish Agency and even hypothesizes about how the British would have reacted if the Arabs had had a political infrastructure in place similar to that of the Jews. Although his argument would be more convincing had he given greater credence to the Palestinian perspective, Segev is an excellent historical writer who presents a compelling and timely discussion of a well-trodden subjectDeven if it does not stir as much controversy as his earlier work. (Nov. 14) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In the past 50 years, Arab-Israeli relations have been marked by several wars and internecine conflicts. Understanding the events in Palestine during the first half of the 20th century, which shaped the future of this conflict, is critical to understanding the contemporary obstacles confronting the Middle East peace process. Israeli journalist Segev (1949: The First Israelis) has written a detailed, evenhanded account of these events, which led to the establishment of the state of Israel and the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem. By relying on a wealth of archival material, the author demonstrates how and why the British ultimately favored the Zionist forces over the Arabs and how they helped the nascent Zionist movement defeat the Palestinians and other Arabs. Highly recommended for both academic and large public libraries.-DNader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The recent failure of the latest round of peace talks between Jews and Palestinians will provide added interest in and immediacy to this fascinating book. Israeli Segev, author of the acclaimed 1949 and The Seventh Million, looks at the period from 1917 to 1948, "an era of terror and promise," when Britain ruled over Palestine and the current conflicts of the area were germinating. Using archival records, diaries, and letters, Segev provides an incredibly detailed account of the historical roots of the animosity between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine. More than 700 years of Muslim rule ended when the British push into the Middle East in the early 1900s, bringing Palestine under its control. The region was promised to both Arabs and Jews, but British policy tended to favor the Jews following the Balfour Declaration. Eventually, aggressive Zionist efforts opened the country to Jewish immigration, providing shelter for Jews fleeing the Holocaust and setting up conditions for the inevitable conflict that followed and continues. Segev profiles the legions of famous and obscure players in the drama that unfolded with the creation of Israel. He recounts the violent struggles between Arabs and Jews to gain the upper hand with the British, who were torn between an ebbing history of imperialism, indebtedness to the Arabs for their support against the Turks, and exaggerated fears of international Jewish influence. "The Palestine conflict was more than a struggle for land; it was also a battle for myths, religious faith, national honor, and history." Both sides fought with "primal fervor" that inevitably led to a blurring of distinctions between reality and symbolism, with the British helpless and ineffective in the middle. This is a stunning, absorbing work. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Omer Bartov, The New York Times Book Review
"This book will doubtlessly become the authoritative text for the pre-state history of Israel."


Omer Bartov, The New York Times Book Review
"An enormously important book, perhaps the best single account of Palestine under the British mandate."


Nick Goldberg, Newsday
"Brilliantly evocative . . . Fascinating . . . Segev approaches his story with independence and a refreshing empathy for all sides."


Anita Shapira, The New Republic
"Sharp, skillful . . . Segev certainly knows how to write a riveting tale."


Review
"The best single account of Palestine under the British mandate . . . This will doubtlessly become the authoritative text for the pre-state history of Israel."--Omer Bartov, The New York Times Book Review

"Sharp, skillful . . . Segev certainly knows how to write a riveting tale."--Anita Shapira, The New Republic

"A brilliant, truthful, and compassionate book . . . In all the vast literature about Palestine/Israel, this is the only book with equal insight into all of the protagonists."--Arthur Hertzberg, author of Jews: The Essence and Character of a People

"An antidote to myths . . . A book of pressing relevance . . . We should be thankful."--Gershom Gorenberg, Washington Post Book World

"Remarkable and poignant . . . Important for any understanding of the Middle East conflict."--Susan Muaddi, Philadelphia Weekly

"Masterly . . . well-informed and impartial . . lets the historical record straight."--Patrick Martin, Toronto Globe & Mail

"A fresh look at a period that at times prefigured the present . . . Compelling."--Seth Gitell, Boston Phoenix

"A wonderfully readable account of the mandate, classic and magisterial in unpacking the story . . . At various times one wants to wrestle it, hurl it against the wall, salute it, even slap it on the back in congratulation . . . A fascinating book."--Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Thoroughly researched . . . incisive."--Steve Lipman, Jewish Week

"Never have we had a book documenting life under the British with the precision, magic, and charm of One Palestine, Complete. . . Tom Segev has chosen wonderfully tangible details for a rich and fascinating fresco . . . He treats the Mandate period as a novel, laying out all the elements needed to further the plot over the next fifty years. Here are the seeds of all that has come to pass . . . Clearly, the tensions, problems, and ills plaguing the country today were very much alive then."--Ha'aretz

Thrilling and eye-opening,"--Benny Morris, author of Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict 1881-1999

"This book is hard to put down. Events are fascinatingly told from three viewpoints...The mistakes made by the British, Jews, and Arabs that led to the current impasse are clearly evident in Segev's book."--J. Zel Lurie, Hadassah Magazine

"Loaded with information on the British mandate and the people who ran it."--Sol Schindler, Washington Times

"Segev handles his material with a historian's scrupulous scholarship and a journalist's eye for storytelling. Sophisticated in its analysis and fair in its judgments, One Palestine, Complete isn't a chronicle of heroes or villains."--Dave Luhrssen, Milwaukee Shephard Express

"Exceedingly well written . . . Certain to become a landmark of information on the history of Israel."--David Rosenfield, Houston Jewish Herald-Voice



Book Description
One Palestine, Complete explores the tumultuous period before the creation of the state of Israel. This was the time of the British Mandate, when Britain's promise to both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land, set in motion the conflict that haunts the region to this day.

Drawing on untapped archival materials, Tom Segev reconstructs an era (1917 to 1948) of limitless possibilities and tragic missteps. He introduces an array unforgettable characters, tracks the steady advance of Jews and Arabs toward confrontation, and puts forth a radical new argument: that the British, far from being pro-Arab, consistently favored the Zionist position, out of the mistaken--and anti-Semitic--belief that Jews turned the wheels of history. Rich in historical detail, sensitive to all perspectives, One Palestine, Complete brilliantly depicts the decline of an empire, the birth of one nation, and the tragedy of another.



About the Author
Tom Segev is a columnist for Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper. He is the author of The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust and 1949: The First Israelis. He lives in Jerusalem.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Tom Segev, who has made a name for himself among historians for his often controversial viewpoints, has done it again with his take on the history of this troubled region. This is a panoramic look at the three decades (1917-1948) when the Palestinian region was ruled by the British -- a time during which both the Jews and the Arabs were told that they would inherit the land. As we see in today's daily headlines, those promises continue to affect this volatile region. Segev claims that the British were, in fact, pro-Zionist, rather than pro-Arab as commonly thought.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A landmark book, One Palestine, Complete explores the tumultuous period before the creation of the state of Israel. This was the time of the British Mandate, when Britain promised both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land, and thus set in motion the conflict that haunts the region to this day.

Drawing on untapped archival materials, Tom Segev reconstructs an era (1917 to 1948) of limitless possibilities and tragic missteps. He introduces an array of unforgettable characters, tracks the steady advance of Jews and Arabs toward confrontation, and puts forth a radical new argument: that the British, far from being pro-Arab, consistently favored the Zionist position, out of the mistaken — and anti-Semitic — belief that Jews turned the wheels of history.

Rich in historical detail, sensitive to all perspectives, One Palestine, Complete brilliantly depicts the decline of an empire, the birth of one nation, and the tragedy of another.

Author Biography: Tom Segev is a columnist for Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper. He is the author of The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust and 1949: The First Israelis. He lives in Jerusalem.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

"The British entered Palestine to defeat the Turks; they stayed there to keep it from the French; then they gave it to the Zionists because they loved `the Jews' even as they loathed them, at once admired and despised them, and above all feared them. They were not guided by strategic considerations, and there was no orderly decision-making process," claims Segev in revealing the thrust of his argument that the contemporary problems between the Arabs and the Jews over the issue of a promised homeland were exacerbated by the interventions of the British empire between the two world wars. Segev, author of the well-known and highly controversial books 1949 and The Seventh Million, is one of the "new historians" who have revised and demythologized the history of modern Israel. The reason the British feared the Zionists, Segev maintains, was that they believed that the Jews had inordinate political power around the world. Moreover, he suggests that the Arab rebellions of the late 1930s were instrumental in convincing the British to leave the reins to the Jewish Agency and even hypothesizes about how the British would have reacted if the Arabs had had a political infrastructure in place similar to that of the Jews. Although his argument would be more convincing had he given greater credence to the Palestinian perspective, Segev is an excellent historical writer who presents a compelling and timely discussion of a well-trodden subject--even if it does not stir as much controversy as his earlier work. (Nov. 14) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In the past 50 years, Arab-Israeli relations have been marked by several wars and internecine conflicts. Understanding the events in Palestine during the first half of the 20th century, which shaped the future of this conflict, is critical to understanding the contemporary obstacles confronting the Middle East peace process. Israeli journalist Segev (1949: The First Israelis) has written a detailed, evenhanded account of these events, which led to the establishment of the state of Israel and the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem. By relying on a wealth of archival material, the author demonstrates how and why the British ultimately favored the Zionist forces over the Arabs and how they helped the nascent Zionist movement defeat the Palestinians and other Arabs. Highly recommended for both academic and large public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/00.]--Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Omer Bartov - New York Times Book Review

Reading Tom Segev's remarkable book just as another round of violence and frustration erupts in Israel and the Palestinian territories, one is instantly gripped by a powerful sense of d￯﾿ﾽj￯﾿ﾽ vu. Once again the region has succumbed to despair, and peace seems, at best, a distant prospect. And yet One Palestine, Complete is more than the tale of a historical tragedy in the making. For Segev is unusually attuned to the hopes and dreams that both Arabs and Jews have invested in this divided land. Instead of telling his story through the loud pronouncements of political leaders, he has woven a fine tapestry of individual portraits, curious anecdotes and penetrating insights. One is left with a faint hope that the current crisis is as much a convulsive reaction to an anticipated settlement as it is a compulsive return to old patterns of prejudice and violence...Segev has written an enormously important book, perhaps the best single account of Palestine under the British mandate.

Kirkus Reviews

A cogent, readable, and meticulously researched account of Zionism and British policy in Palestine under the British Mandate. Ha'retz columnist Segev (The Seventh Million, 1993) draws from a mind-boggling array of primary and secondary source material to illustrate the wide range of issues and individuals that affected the political climate of Palestine between 1917 and 1948. His primary claim is that the British government was sympathetic to the Zionists over the Arabs at the close of WWI, because certain key officials (e.g., Lloyd George) believed the world's Jews to be a great and powerful transnational force that he would be wise to befriend and foolish to alienate. To this end, the author paints Chaim Weizmann as the one-man propaganda machine and spin-doctor who was behind it all—a kind of magic-bullet theory that fails to solve the puzzle satisfactorily. More plausible than Segev's radical claims of conspiracy and cowardice is his emphasis on Zionism in its pre-WWII form: he manages, through careful documentation and the innovative integration of source material, to effectively debunk the popular myth of Israel owing its independence to the sympathies of an international community horrified by the Holocaust. Making good use of historical documents, personal correspondence, and private journals, Segev allows certain characters to tell their own stories—from Yefim Gordin (a young Jewish immigrant who changed his name for the cause) to Khalil al-Sakakini (a leading Arab intellectual, educator, and nationalist)—which add up, in the end, to an intricate portrait of the mottled, beautiful, deadly mess that is the Holy Land. A careful, thorough,andintelligent work of journalistic history.