Jewish Cossacks and then a Jewish State

 

The Sword And The Olive: A Critical History Of The Israeli Defense Force by Martin Van Creveld delivers just what he promises in the title.  Van Crevald takes focues an historical mircoscope from the rise of a Jewishself-defense organizations in Palestine, right to the end of the Lebanon War. 

While the author tries to distance himself from post-Zionist historians, he strips quite a bit of myth and legend surrounding Israel's fighting forces himself.  Take one of the earliest forms of Jewish self-defense in Palestine, Hashomer, the Watchman.  We are told they lacked discipline, wore Arab garb, modeled themselves as Jewish Cossacks, and rode horsese, often letting style rule over substance.  Van Crevald suggests that some Watchman may have been involved in protection rackets against their fellow Jews!

This is a fascinating book about a stateless people who build a state and an army from the ground up.  Van Creveld details the good and ugly of this process – and all shades between.