The 1948 war led to the creation of the state of Israel, the fragmentation of Palestine, and to a conflict which has raged across the intervening sixty years. The historical debate likewise continues and these debates are encapsulated in the second edition of The War for Palestine, updated to include chapters on Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In a preface to this edition, the editors survey the state of scholarship in this contested field. The impact of these debates goes well beyond academia. There is an important link between the state of Arab-Israeli relations and popular attitudes towards the past. A more complex and fair-minded understanding of that past is essential for preserving at least the prospect of reconciliation between Arabs and Israel in the future. The rewriting of the history of 1948 thus remains a practical as well as an academic imperative. 'The result is a book which is rich in new material and new insights and which enhances considerably our understanding of the historical roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict.' The Middle East ' … a scholarly, readable volume that will provoke more debate …'. Reviews in History 'This stimulating guide to the complex political and military topography of the 1948 war sets new, rigorous standards for subsequent scholars, and should be required reading for anyone who needs to understand what the whole Arab-Israeli business is about.' Contemporary Review '… a cogent and comprehensive work on the central event in the Middle East in the year 1948 … The War for Palestine demonstrates a dedication to empirical research and a determination to draw independent conclusions'. English Historical Review 'This volume presents important and original scholarship on the 1948 war … It succeeds in bringing together historians from different backgrounds and demonstrates their ability to communicate and jointly challenge historical myths.' American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 'This critical look at internal factors on the Arab side is most welcome in order to understand the events of 1948.' Journal of Peace Research The updated second edition of The War for Palestine presents the genesis of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Eugene L. Rogan is University Lecturer in the Modern History of the Middle East and a Fellow of St Antony's College, University of Oxford. He is the author of Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire (1999) and editor of Outside In: On the Margins of the Modern Middle East (2002). He is editor of The Contemporary Middle East series published by Cambridge. Avi Shlaim is Professor of International Relations and a Fellow of St Antony's College, University of Oxford. He was a British Academy Research Professor in 2003–6 and he was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2006. His previous publications include War and Peace in the Middle East: A Concise History (1995), The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (2000) and Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace (2008). Used Book in Good Condition