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10 - The Founding of Modern Israel and the Arab–Israeli Conflict

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

By
Bernard Reich
Edited by
Judith R. Baskin  and
Kenneth Seeskin
Judith R. Baskin
Affiliation:
University of Oregon
Kenneth Seeskin
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
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Summary

Since its establishment as an independent political entity in May 1948, the State of Israel has fought eight major wars, engaged in countless skirmishes with its Arab neighbors, and has been subjected to numerous terrorist attacks. All Israelis are aware that achieving peace and stability within the larger region is essential for Israel's continued existence and development as a Jewish state in the Middle East, yet over the past sixty and more years, a final and comprehensive peace has remained elusive. However, despite its uneasy situation, Israel is a country marked by dramatic accomplishments that include the social integration of successive waves of immigrants from all over the world; significant economic success; a first-rate educational system; world-class research in science, medicine, and technology; and major achievements in a range of artistic forms and media. Israel has a democratic political system that has seen eighteen elections for parliament between 1949 and 2009 and the formation of thirty-two governments. Israel's elected representatives reflect the wide range of ethnic backgrounds, countries of origin, gender, and age that characterize its diverse population. This chapter provides an overview of the establishment of Israel as a nation-state and traces major events in its relations with its neighbors.

THE LAND OF ISRAEL AND JEWISH LIFE

Over the centuries, Jews scattered in the Diaspora yearned to return to the Land of Israel where so much of their early history had taken place.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Guide to Jewish History, Religion, and Culture , pp. 258 - 287
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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References

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