Arab-Israeli Wars

by Chaim Herzog and Shlomo Gazit

Book Overview

Herzog re-creates Israel's turbulent military history from the 1948 Civil War in Palestine to the 1982 war in Lebanon. 100 photographs, 50 maps.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394503791
• ISBN13: 9780394503790
• Release Date: September 1982
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Necessary Addition To Any Mid East Library

Former Israeli president Chain Herzog's account of the wars/conflicts between The State of Israel and her Arab neighbors is a riveting history. The book covers almost every Israeli military operation from 1948-2004 (this refers to the most recent version updated by former Israeli Intelligence officer Shlomo Gazit). I personally liked how the book covered the little known conflicts, such as Israel's counter terror raids against PLO bases in Karameh, Jordan and Samu in the West Bank. In addition The book is complete with countless maps and photos. Maps of some battles (such as the Suez raids in the late 60s-early 70s between the Israelis and Egyptians) are incredibly detailed and as far as my own reading of other books can tell me, can't be found in other books. The book was also quite objective, even comming from one of Israel's former presidents. The only flaw I found in the book was when Herzog claims Gen. Sharon increased fixed defenses 5-7 miles from the Suez Canal, for $500 million (see pg. 220). In reality Ariel Sharon who talks about this in his autobiography, Warrior, actually removed troops and shut down much of the Bar-Lev line. He, like General Patton some 30 years before did not belive in fixed emplacements, and felt they could serve better as small forward observation posts. This book is perfect for anyone studying the Middle East, Zionism, terrorism, or modern armed conflict. You can't find a better account of Israel's wars in any other book.

A solid record

This account of the Wars of Israel from the War of Independence is written with fairness and a real attention to the facts. Herzog can fault Israel, and is aware of mistakes but points out to the essentially defensive character of the Jewish state's major military actions. As a participant in the War of Independence and as the major commentator and in fact ' national spokesman' in the 1967 war he well understands Israeli society from inside. He has great military knowledge and shows this in detailed explanations of the battle. Considering however the tremendous drama of the events involved the work is a bit less humanly moving than it could have been had he written more personally about the major characters involved.

Arab-Israeli Wars by Chaim Herzog

This is the best book on the Arab-Israeli wars and, one of the top 5 military history books ever written. The maps are integrated into the text in such a way as to present the clearest possible picture of the various battles examined. All other military historians would profit from reading this book and emulating the textual-graphic layout integration. This is a must-read book for military personnel, especially infantry, armor and cavalry officers and noncommissioned officers.

Very informative (and neutral) book

Chaim Herzog served in both military and political roles through out Israel's early history (he even mentions his specific contributions in the book). However, do not expect a pro-Israel or a autobiographical book - but you can expect a good read.This book reads almost like a textbook, but it is a fascinating book nonetheless. Chaim describes the Israeli-Arab wars from the creation of Israel in 1948 to the invasion of Lebanon. Every commander on both sides is discussed and the battle plans and troop movements are talked about in detail. If this kind of thing bores you, then you may want to bypass this piece. If you like military history then this will suit you absolutely fine.Some people try to claim this book is pro-Israel propoganda...but they obviously want to deny Israel does any good. This book is nothing of the sort, it is merely facts and historical events recreated into an organized structure. Chaim quite often speaks of praise for the Arab enemies, and isn't afraid to criticize or belittle the Israeli side. He even goes so far as to say that the defeat of the Arabs in the Six Day War was not because of the skill of the Israelis but because of the disorganization and poor leadership of the Arab nations involved.Another example is found in the chapter involving the 1948 War of Independance. Chaim describes the unfortunate incident where Israeli soldiers became confused and killed Arab civilians. He mentions the apology of the Israeli government for that event, and then leaves it at that. What he doesn't tell you is that in retaliation an Arab unit attacked a medical convoy, riddled the vehicles with bullets, then doused the convoy with gasoline and lit it on fire to ensure no survivors. If an Israeli soldier who fought in 1948 won't mention this (if any thing, to save his comrades face) then I believe that man would be taking a neutral stand.In short, this is perhaps the best book for the armchair historian or any one fascinated in military history. You probably won't be able to solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem with this, but you will definately understand the history of the region better after your reading.

An excellent military account of the Arab-Israeli wars

This book is a concise summary of the military actions that make up the Arab-Israeli wars up until the mid 1980s. Herzog has written a well researched and balanced account of what the military strategists were thinking, what men and equipment they had, and how their plans played out in real life. Only the minimum of political and diplomatic overview is given, this book is primarily about generals, tanks and airplanes, and unit combat. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of how the wars were fought, this is the book for you. Wargamers and those seriously interested in the "hows" of warfighting would have to dig very long and deep to come up with this books detailed descriptions of units and outcomes.