The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force

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Summary: By Jerusalem-based military expert Martin van Creveld
Review: Written by Jerusalem-based military expert Martin van Creveld (the only non-American author on the U.S. Army's required reading list for officers), The Sword And The Olive: A Critical History Of The Israeli Defense Force is a straightforward accounting of the history of Israel's army, beginning with its origins in the early 1900's when Jews fleeing Russian pogroms banded together for defense against hostile Arabs, down to modern day Israeli military clashes in Lebanon and against Intifada uprisings. The Sword And The Olive is confidently recommended as an exhaustively researched, soberly written, and unbiased account that questions whether the Israeli Defense Force has exchanged the role of the underdog David for the role of the powerful, arrogant, yet ultimately vulnerable Goliath.