I’d like to think that I’ve got a pretty good superficial understanding of the establishment of Israel as a nation. Pretty much what I’ve read has been published in newspapers over the years, articles I’ve read on Wikipedia and elsewhere on the internet, and a bit of what I was taught in history classes a long time ago. But I’ve never read a really good history of the establishment of Israel as a nation. Could Dopers recommend a good history book that provides details of the establishment of Israel as a nation that is mostly factually based and agenda-free?
O Jerusalem by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre is the classic on the subject. I read it decades ago, but from what I can tell, it seems to have held up over time.
I just bought Israel: A History by Martin Gilbert today. It’s only $2.99 on Kindle. I’d be interested in feedback on it, the price was too low to pass up.
I don’t think any written history is “agenda-free.” “Not left or right” isn’t agenda-free: Willy Mays didn’t play left field or right field, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a position. Every historian has a perspective, a point of view they wish to present, and thus an agenda of some sort. Often we read someone and because they reinforce what we think, or make an argument we’re okay with, that they don’t have an agenda. But read the book reviews by other historians, who will be quick and happy to underline that agenda, and counterpose their own.
Perhaps look at The Sabra: a Portrait by Oz Almog. There do exist translations into English, but at least one is abridged, so watch out.
The generation in question covers people who grew up in Israel between 1920–1960 or so, therefore the cultural information should be directly relevant even though it is not exactly what you asked about.