History of Israel's War of Independence: A Nation Girds for War

This is the first volume in Dr. Uri Milstein's comprehensive study of Israel's War of Independence. A Nation Girds for War surveys the political and diplomatic background to Israel's War of Independence. Based on newly declassified material, it describes how the Jewish Defense functioned in the 1948 War of Independence and reveals the internal functions among the Jewish commanders. This book is based on a 30-year research effort. It charts the emergence and development of the Jewish militias and intelligence services. Because more than 1,500 people were interviewed for this book, including every surviving senior commander and decision-maker, this book sets forth the competing strands of Zionist thought and profiles the major figures in Europe, the United States and Mandatory Palestine, whose actions shaped the course of Israel's birth. Dr. Milstein is the only independent researcher with free access to the archives of the Israel Defense Forces. With that special privilege, the author is able to detail this war and the critical events leading to the United Nations' historic partition resolution in 1947 as have never before been told.