Senseless, Squalid War: Voices from Palestine 1945-1948

The troubles in Palestine between the end of World War II and the declaration of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, ruptured Middle Eastern history and left an indelible mark on the modern world. Chronicling in gripping detail this critical period that led, for the Jews, to the establishment of their national homeland, and, for the Palestinians, to their Nakba ("Catastrophe"), this book gives powerful expression to all those who took part in these stirring events: Britons, Jews, and Arabs alike. Drawing on a rich medley of official documents, private papers, biographies, memoirs, diaries, letters, newspapers, novels, songs, plays, and reminiscences, this book vividly reconstructs the attitudes and experiences of the many diverse participants. Whether foot-soldiers or generals, politicians or diplomats, dissidents, terrorists, writers, teachers, or simply men and women on the street, each voice tells its own story, and is woven into a compelling historical narrative that shifts seamlessly from one level of experience to another.