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David Ben-Gurion, the State of Israel, and the Arab World, 1949–1956

Zaki Shalom
Author text to follow

“Shalom devotes much attention to the relations betwen Ben-Gurion and his foreign minister (and temporary successor) Moshe Sharett, finding that the two differed on matters of defense policy but saw eye-to-eye on Israel's requirements from a political settlement.” Middle East Quarterly

“Zaki Shalom’s aim in writing this book is not so much to defend or criticize Ben-Gurion as to give a detailed and accurate account of his attitude towards the Arab world in the period between the 1948 war and the Suez war of 1956. Shalom recognizes at the outset the distinction between policy and statements, between the operational and the declaratory levels of policy. He is concerned not with Ben-Gurion’s practical policy towards the Arabs in the period under investigation, but with his views, his attitudes, and his statements.

The value of the book is not limited to the light it sheds on Israel's founding father during the first eight years of statehood. By focusing on David Ben-Gurion during this crucial period, the book highlights some of the central dilemmas with which the Zionist movement has had to grapple ever since its inception towards the end of the nineteenth century. These issues include the moral case for a Jewish state, the extent of its territorial claims, the nature of the conflict with its Arab neighbours, the use of force, and the possibility of peaceful coexistence. All these issues remain of burning interest and importance today, following the breakdown of the Oslo peace process and the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising.”

From the Foreword by Avi Shlaim,
St Antony's College, Oxford

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