As the title says I’m looking for factual books on how Israel and Palestine came into existence since the first start. I’ve noticed most books start out in the 1900s but I’d like the full history from the Biblical/Roman times. Is there any books that exist for this?
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I also don’t mind reading it in parts and separate books but I’m struggling to find books about the topic from before 1900s.
by lordGwynx7
5 Comments
You could check out ‘The Source’ by James Mitchener, which as per usual is an interesting take on history. It is fiction but factual based in places.
Maybe look up Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore. Also searching JSTOR for articles is a good idea, if you register, you get free access to several.
Most books start in the 1900s because that is when Israel was established as a nation after WWII. Obviously there are cultural/religious underpinnings that go further back, but I’d honestly look at what the allies did after WWII as that more closely affects the current context.
The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction
*The whole “Very Short Introductions” series, by Oxford University Press, are really great for this sort of thing. Especially if you are starting on your learning journey. As unbiased as they can be. They are just there to lay out the basics as clear as possible, tell both sides, and give you direction for further reading.
Jerusalem: A Brief History (Wiley Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion)
They’re big* books that try to cover the entire world and only give an overview, but Chronicle of the World and Chronicle of the 20^(th) Century may help somewhat, being akin to general maps of history.
*Seriously, they’re [expletive deleted] huge! Well over a thousand pages and forget trying to fit one in a pocket, you’ll need a backpack!