A century ago, Jews were facing escalating persecution. A dedicated homeland seemed the ideal solution. There were still debates as to whether it should be a Jewish state, or a Jewish population in an existing state. The location was also up for grabs. Argentina and the historic Israel (which was part of the of the Ottoman empire) were the leaders. Theodor Herzl was an intellectual leader of Zionism.
Jewish immigration started to take place under the Ottomans and later the British mandates. However, even these groups were limited. Many immigrant ships were turned away during the rise of fascism in Europe. Jews fleeing persecution were turned away from both American and Middle Eastern locations. This further demonstrated the need for a Jewish homeland. (Israel would later adopt a policy that any Jew could freely settle in Israel - and they used the same "blood" test that the Nazi's used for identifying Jews.)
Israel had a diverse population of Jews from all over the world. The European Jews has thought of themselves as superior. However, Jews from everywhere were permitted. This policy encouraged many of the most persecuted or least well to do Jews to immigrate. Often, even the well-to-do immigrants would have difficulty coming in with their assets. This did result in some issues as some non-European Jews felt like they were second class citizens. The most significant Jewish group that is missing is American Jews - they tend to be most comfortable staying in the US.
Israel took some time to adopt an identity. Many initial immigrants were "back to the earth" communal farmers. Later immigrants changed the character. The boundaries, population and even religious character of the country were continually evolving. Politically, there are many parties and a degree of coalition building is required. The policies have changed as different leaders assumed the mantle. There was significant criticism when Israel accepted German reparations. (Though these reparations arrived at a time of great need for Isreal.)
Israel had conflicts from the get-go. The Arab community didn't like the idea of Israel's existence. There were divisions in Jewish leadership as to whether freedom should be gained on the battlefield or diplomacy. The battlefield hand was forced. Israel had some unexpected success in repelling the initial Arab attacks. This led to some cockiness that nearly led to the defeat in the Yom Kippur war.
Jews have a significant degree of self reflection. They analyze the mistakes and attempt to grown from them. The Palestinian situation is difficult. As a democracy, Israel wants to make sure there are not too many Arabs to outvote the Jewish population. The status of Arabs are accidents of the past. A family may be split between Israeli Arabs and Palestinian refugees. Many Arab countries in the region would like to have Israel out of the picture. However, they don't want to take responsibility for Palestine and the refugees. They find it more valuable to use Palestinians as propaganda tools than to actually try to improve the condition of the Palestinians. Anti-semitism can easily be disguised as "Palestinian rights".
The author notes that Israel is the one place where people speak the same language and practice the same location that they did 3000 years ago. It is a significant "restoration". Israel has grown and had a great success. However, there remains significant danger and volatility. This book is a good history of the the last century from a moderate pro-Israel perspective.
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