Zionism and the Foundations of Israeli Diplomacy

by Sasson Sofer

Overview

In a detailed historical reconstruction of the origins of Jewish political thought, the book traces the development of Zionist ideology in the years prior to Israel's independence. The analysis demonstrates how the political, social and economic foundations of the future state were negotiated in this period and how these ideologies have endured and are reflected in present-day Israeli diplomacy and in the fragmentary nature of its politics. The book will become a standard reference for students of Zionist and Israeli politics and for those interested in the Middle East generally.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521630122
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/21/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.38(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Glossary; Part I. Setting the Scene: 1. Ideas and the course of history; 2. Israeli society and politics before Independence; 3. A remarkable and terrible decade; Part II. Appearances and Reality: 4. The political world of the founding fathers; 5. The vicissitudes of hegemony; 6. The revolutionary maximalists; 7. The reluctant vanguard; 8. The lost avant-garde; 9. The Communists - in captivity; Part III. The Fallacies of Realpolitik: 10. Jabotinsky and the Revisionist tradition; 11. The revolt; 12. The mysticism of realism; Part IV. Sectarian Interests and a Façade of Generality: 13. The General Zionists; 14. The farmers and the Sephardi notables; Part V. God's Dispositions: 15. Religious natlionalism; 16. Religious orthodoxy and the cult of separateness; Part VI. The Boundaries of the Intelligentsia: 17. Canaanites and Semites; 18. Magnes, Buber and Ihud (Unity); 19. The divided heritage: Israel's diplomatic tradition; Notes; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"For upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty." Choice

"Sofer is to be commended for writing a dispassionate and sober account of Zionist and Israeli foreign policy, one sensitive to detail without losing sight of the broad picture." Middle East Quarterly

"...he has produced a rich ideological history of the Yishuv." SHOFAR

"...a detailed examination of the disparate and malleable foreign-policy perspectives embraced by Zionism." The International History Review

"The strength of Sofer's volume lies in the detailed normative profiles it provides for many of Zionism's early leaders. It is a rich resource for those who wish to learn more about the political views of these individuals, both in general and with respect to the Zionist struggle." Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism 2001

From the Publisher