Palestine 1948: War, Escape and the Emergence of the Palestinian Refugee Problem

ìThere have been flashier histories of Israelís war of independence, and longer ones, but none as well informed, more sensible and more compelling than Gelberís magisterial account.î Middle East Quarterly ìYoav Gelber's contribution to the literature on 1948 is useful for its detailed chronology of ëIsraelís most significant and triumphalí campaign against the Arabs × The bookís value lies in its shedding light on the loose alliances unfolding in the Middle East.î Studies in Contemporary Jewry ìRecommended for its contribution to a continuing debate over a controversial issue.î Choice Based on new or newly interpreted Israeli, British and Arab documents, this book attempts to integrate present controversies concerning the development of the JewishñPalestinian war from December 1947 to mid-May 1948 and the consecutive IsraeliñArab war. It follows the organization of both sides at the beginning of the war and the shaping of their respective war policies. Further, it describes the creation of the invading coalition and its disintegration in the wake of the Arab armiesí military failure. The book stresses mainly the processes that led Palestinian society to its collapse and mass flight and the Israeli reactions and policies that turned this temporary escape into a long-lasting refugee problem. Emphasizing the different historical and cultural perspectives of the adversaries and the context of the warís development, it criticizes the approach of the Israeli ìNew Historiansî who tend to isolate the refugee problem from the broader issues of the war and treat it separately. Includes a glossary of Arab/Israeli wartime operations