With his characteristic grace and lucidity, Howard M. Sachar, renowned author of thirteen earlier books on Middle East and Jewish history, brings to life the complex and dramatic story of the friendships and fallings-out between Israel and various European powers over the last half-century. Dr. Sachar provides in-depth explanations of situations and events: the always uneasy relationship between the fledgling Israel and its erstwhile sponsor, Great Britain; its early love affair and acrimonious breakup with France; the unlikely emergence of Germany as the little Zionist nation's chief European benefactor. Skillfully, too, Sachar elucidates shifting Soviet policies toward Israel, and the manner in which these policies affected those of the United States. A mast of historical narrative, Sachar once again enlightens us with penetrating scholarship, insightful analysis, and an unerring grasp of human--and national--motivations.
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