One Palestine, Complete - by Tom Segev (Paperback)

About the Book

A landmark book, "One Palestine, Complete" explores the tumultuous period before the creation of the state of Israel. This was the time of the British Mandate, when Britain promised both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land, and thus set in motion the conflict that haunts the region to this day. Photos.

Book Synopsis

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
Named a Best Books of the Year by The New York Times
Named an Editors' Choice Best Book by The New York Times

"The best single account of Palestine under the British mandate . . . This will doubtlessly become the authoritative text for the pre-state history of Israel." --The New York Times Book Review

Rich in historical detail, sensitive to all perspectives, One Palestine, Complete brilliantly depicts the decline of an empire, the birth of one nation, and the tragedy of another.

One Palestine, Complete explores the tumultuous period before the creation of the state of Israel. This was the time of the British Mandate, when Britain's promise to both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land, set in motion the conflict that haunts the region to this day.

Drawing on untapped archival materials, Tom Segev reconstructs an era (1917 to 1948) of limitless possibilities and tragic missteps. He introduces an array unforgettable characters, tracks the steady advance of Jews and Arabs toward confrontation, and puts forth a radical new argument: that the British, far from being pro-Arab, consistently favored the Zionist position, out of the mistaken--and anti-Semitic--belief that Jews turned the wheels of history.

Review Quotes

"The best single account of Palestine under the British mandate . . . This will doubtlessly become the authoritative text for the pre-state history of Israel."
--Omer Bartov, The New York Times Book Review

"Sharp, skillful . . . Segev certainly knows how to write a riveting tale."
--Anita Shapira, The New Republic

"A brilliant, truthful, and compassionate book . . . In all the vast literature about Palestine/Israel, this is the only book with equal insight into all of the protagonists."
--Arthur Hertzberg, author of Jews: The Essence and Character of a People

"An antidote to myths . . . A book of pressing relevance . . . We should be thankful."
--Washington Post Book World

"Remarkable and poignant . . . Important for any understanding of the Middle East conflict."
--Philadelphia Weekly

"Masterly . . . well-informed and impartial . . lets the historical record straight."
--Toronto Globe & Mail

"A fresh look at a period that at times prefigured the present . . . Compelling."
--Boston Phoenix

"A wonderfully readable account of the mandate, classic and magisterial in unpacking the story . . . At various times one wants to wrestle it, hurl it against the wall, salute it, even slap it on the back in congratulation . . . A fascinating book."
--Philadelphia Inquirer

"Thoroughly researched . . . incisive."
--Jewish Week

"Never have we had a book documenting life under the British with the precision, magic, and charm of One Palestine, Complete. . . Tom Segev has chosen wonderfully tangible details for a rich and fascinating fresco . . . He treats the Mandate period as a novel, laying out all the elements needed to further the plot over the next fifty years. Here are the seeds of all that has come to pass . . . Clearly, the tensions, problems, and ills plaguing the country today were very much alive then."
--Haaretz

"Thrilling and eye-opening,"
--Benny Morris, author of Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict 1881-1999

"This book is hard to put down. Events are fascinatingly told from three viewpoints...The mistakes made by the British, Jews, and Arabs that led to the current impasse are clearly evident in Segev's book."
--Hadassah Magazine

"Loaded with information on the British mandate and the people who ran it."
--Washington Times

"Segev handles his material with a historian's scrupulous scholarship and a journalist's eye for storytelling. Sophisticated in its analysis and fair in its judgments, One Palestine, Complete isn't a chronicle of heroes or villains."
--Milwaukee Shephard Express

"Exceedingly well written . . . Certain to become a landmark of information on the history of Israel."
--Houston Jewish Herald-Voice

About the Author

Tom Segev is a columnist for Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper, and author of three works on the history of Israel, 1949: The First Israelis, The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust, and One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate. He lives in Jerusalem.