Land of blood and honey: the rise of modern Israel. Martin Van Creveld. 2010.

In this crisp volume, the author skilfully relates the unlikely story of a people without a home who, given a hot and arid patch of land - and coping with every imaginable obstacle - founded a nation that has become the envy of surrounding states..

The author reveals the complex forces behind this nation forged in fury, from its Zionist beginnings at the end of the nineteenth century, through its realisation, up to the present day. He expertly chronicles its early footsteps after the War of Independence of 1948, the “nightmare years” from 1967 to 1980, and the new challenges faced by Israel at the end of the last century and into the present one.

Land of Blood and Honey also offers a lively examination of the Israeli people themselves. The author deftly considers their rich social, cultural and religious traditions, as well as the dynamic tensions between the traditional and modern, Orthodox and secular, and even between the sexes.

Finally, while celebrating Israel‘s military shrewdness and industrial ingenuity, Van Creveld also offers an even-handed assessment of its domestic and foreign policies and suggests ideas that might point the way toward a larger peace in the Middle East.