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.
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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Informative but Limited:
This is a generally well written book describing the period of British rule of Palestine. Segev's goal is to describe the experience of life in Palestine during this period. He aims at illuminating the experience of the British, the Jews of Palestine, and the Arab Palestinians. Segev's method is to draw from a considerable amount of primary source material and use documents - letters, diaries, etc. - from selected individuals to capture the experiences of Jews, Arabs, and Britons from the 1917 British... more info
A balanced view of the conflict:
Tom Segev's One Palestine, Complete is certainly one of the best books on the Mandate era in Palestine I've read. The book is rich with detail, well-researched, and beautifully written. There is enough in there to anger both militant Zionists and Palestinian nationalists, which, in my opinion, signifies a balanced appraisal.
Recent History of Palestine:
I think this is a worthwhile book. I found keeping all of the main players straight in my head a bit difficult in the early going, but by the end of the book I felt the effort was worth it. Segev lays out a fair and balanced history of both Jews and Arabs during the British rule of Palestine. I can't really say that I enjoyed the book, because it was depressing to see how much lying, cheating, manipulating and killing went on among Jews, Arabs and British alike. But maybe feeling depressed is what a good... more info
One Palestine, Complete; is anything but complete:
I read this book a few years ago, and when I finished it I didn't feel that I could write an informed review. The book really left me with a lot of questions and very few answers. When I decided to read this book I had read a lot of current events and recent histories of this area, but I had not read enough of the history of the making of this region to give myself a proper historical context with which to understand the current histories within their broader context. This particular book was my first read... more info
