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The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge Paperback – 6 January 2026
by Ilan Pappé (Author), Keira Lykourentzos (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (89)
Since its foundation in 1948, Israel has drawn on Zionism, the movement behind its creation, to provide a sense of self and political direction. In this groundbreaking new work, Ilan Pappe looks at the continued role of Zionist ideology. The Idea of Israel considers the way Zionism operates outside of the government and military in areas such as the country's education system, media, and cinema, and the uses that are made of the Holocaust in supporting the state's ideological structure.
In particular, Pappe examines the way successive generations of historians have framed the 1948 conflict as a liberation campaign, creating a foundation myth that went unquestioned in Israeli society until the 1990s. Pappe himself was part of the post-Zionist movement that arose then. He was attacked and received death threats as he exposed the truth about how Palestinians have been treated and the gruesome structure that links the production of knowledge to the exercise of power. The Idea of Israel is a powerful and urgent intervention in the war of ideas concerning the past, and the future, of the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.
Print length
352 pages
Product description
Review
"Pappe's book explores is whether Zionism as the cornerstone of Israel has in fact been manipulated by the state and institutions such as universities and the media to provide a justification for the reality on the ground. The book comes at an interesting time for Israel and its neighbours. John Kerry's peace process refuses to die, despite elements on both sides seemingly united only in their opposition to it, and realities in a turbulent Middle East mean that Israel and traditional foes, especially those in the Persian Gulf, find themselves in rare agreement, especially in relation to the thorny issues of Syria and a nuclear Iran."
--Independent
"Ilan Pappe is a scholar and a pro-Palestinian political activist. He is one of the most prominent Israeli political dissidents living in exile, having moved from the University of Haifa to the University of Exeter. He is also one of the few Israeli students of the conflict who write about the Palestinian side with real knowledge and empathy. Pappe places Zionism under an uncompromising lens... The Idea of Israel is not a history book but a close study of the role of Zionist ideology in the making of modern Israel and of the continuing relevance of this ideology today in politics, the education system, the media, the cinema and Ashkenazi-Sephardi relations."
--Avi Shlaim, Guardian
"Along with the late Edward Said, Ilan Pappe is the most eloquent writer of Palestinian history."
--New Statesman
"Even those who are familiar are likely to find Pappé's elegantly narrated account useful and stimulating... An excellent overview of the Israeli field of knowledge production and its relationship to the making of (the idea of) Israel."
--Gil Hochberg, Journal of Palestine Studies
"Israel's bravest, most principled, most incisive historian."
--John Pilger
"An angry, polemical, eloquent, and often mordantlywitty book... [an] uncompromising rebuttal of the foundation myths on whichIsraeli historiography has been based"
--David Goldberg, Jewish Quarterly
"An essential read for anyone trying to understand the politics and history of the Middle East."
--Frontline
Book Description
A major new history of Zionism and Israel, by the renowned author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
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Avicenna
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good and critical book about the history of Israel.Reviewed in Germany on 21 August 2019
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Very well written by renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pape.
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Marc Martorell
5.0 out of 5 stars A dissection of Israel as a conceptReviewed in Spain on 5 October 2018
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Brilliant, Pappé is sharp and straightforward. The book serves as guide for further readings as it presents Israeli historiographical debates.
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4430426
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and fascinating look at the modern history of what "Israel" has meantReviewed in the United States on 6 November 2023
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Very helpful guide to navigating these topics, especially given the month everyone has had (October 2023). This book helps an outside reader strip away the fluff and how simple things are morally.
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Mustafa
5.0 out of 5 stars The evolving idea of IsraelReviewed in Canada on 20 November 2023
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Good read about the idea of Israel and it’s influence from time and culture. Not for beginner readers trying to learn about the conflict though. Otherwise a must read.
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Richard Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars A History Of Power and KnowledgeReviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 October 2015
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If you want to know the truth about the mendacity and myths created by the Israelis read this book
Neo Zionists and the American Zionist Lobby aided by the EU are responsible for the mayhem and murder of Palestinians
The facts are irrefutable and the world must eventually expel Israel from the UN. This is an evil regime responsible for the displacement and appropriation of another people's land
Richard Morris Writer and Performer Bitter Fruit of Palestine on YouTube and vimeo.com
blog wallsofdespair.blogspot.com
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Cohen
4.0 out of 5 stars This book could have had as title: Propaganda as life style
Reviewed in France on 8 February 2015
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The book does not get 5 stars because it is too long.For what it wants to say. But it is 5 star quality , do not read me wrong. Pappe's book this time is more personal than other work I read from him, but he never discusses his being driven out of Israel. So here we have someone who brilliantly analyses the zionist mythologies about jews and Palestine, who himself can not survive in this artificial state that sprang out of lies , series of intentional misrepresentations, ethnic cleansing and large scale massacre.It happens that I was reading at the same time the book by Jeffries of 1939 "Palestine'the reality" that discusses how American ,French and British zionists ,assisted by British politicians like Balfour, hid, lied and misrepresented the situation of Palestine big time in similar ways around 1920 as is still happening.By reading Pappes book one sees the mist lifted that is constructed by the zionists and their many followers over the Palestinian tragedy . Even I who has finally succeeded to make it into second nature to simply disregard anything the zionists say or ever said , was helped by his subtle and transparant argumentation. But also if one is not fiercely anti Israel as I am, the book is a study of how an intended lying narrative can function, also if the narrative can not stand in view of the masses of evidence against it. It is a case study that applies to our human universe.
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jw
5.0 out of 5 stars This book lays bare the mythology that Israel has invented ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2015
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This book lays bare the mythology that Israel has invented to justify its existence. It is powerful and convincing. Every Israeli should read it.
13 people found this helpful
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Asfred Maldonado
5.0 out of 5 stars Consequences of Zionist unchallenged idealogy and practices
Reviewed in the United States on 5 June 2014
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This book deserves to be mandatory reading for anyone wanting to better understand how social, political, economic, geographical and historical forces play out to inform and form Israel - Israelis, and the seemingly endless conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The truth of the Zionist racist project to marginalize, uproot, de-populate Israeli Palestinians as well as Palestinians outside its territory and rid itself of all Arabs and other non-Jewish ethnic population, is exposed.
28 people found this helpful
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RH
5.0 out of 5 stars Ace
Reviewed in Canada on 27 October 2016
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A must-read!
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Diana Ralph
4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading
Reviewed in Canada on 2 October 2015
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Ilan Pappe excels again! He reviews the changing narratives that attempt to justify Israeli dispossession and atrocities against Palestinians and the vicious censorship and reprisals that those who challenge those narratives face. Well worth reading.
2 people found this helpful
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The Wolf
4.0 out of 5 stars A Thought Provoking Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 April 2017
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A thought provoking book.
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Matthias Goertz
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Study; Misleading Title
Reviewed in the United States on 18 September 2022
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The author brilliantly articulates the history of the battle for the "idea of Israel" that has been ranging, over the past century or so, between classical Zionists, anti-Zionists, post-Zionists and Neo-Zionists. My only criticism of the book is the title, which is misleading (it may be the editor's fault, not the author's, but I can't know): the history of "the idea of Israel" goes back more than 2,000 years (it would be very interesting to explore how far back exactly). It is the author's prerogative to zoom in on this history through the lens of his own lifetime and involvement (as one of the post-Zionists), but he should have said so, if not in the title, at least in the subtitle (to be fair, the blurb clarifies the scope in part). The book deserves 5 stars for what it is; but it would have been an opportunity to be even more than what it is--a shame the author didn't go further back in time, all the way to the beginnings.
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Jaffer Khoonjee
5.0 out of 5 stars Lies, Damn Lies & Zionism!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2021
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Political Zionism
Practical Zionism
Synthetic Zionism
Labor Zionism
Revisionist Zionism
Cultural Zionism
Revolutionary Zionism
Religious Zionism
Reform Zionism
Neo Zionism
Lies, Damn Lies & Zionism
4 people found this helpful
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Rebecca Lindroos
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading for interested readers
Reviewed in the United States on 1 June 2014
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This was my introduction to Pappe and I was very, very pleased. It served as a nice antidote to Ari Shavit - although he's not too bad. Pappe's book is pretty fair historiography but it's mixed with memoir and some polemic. That said, or maybe because of that (?), it's fascinating, well-written, appropriately sourced and an overall good read - I may read more by Pappe.
15 people found this helpful
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B. Jason
5.0 out of 5 stars Important and informative.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2014
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A very informative argument of how power and knowledge have been used to shape the world's understanding of Israel.
8 people found this helpful
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Jerry Harmon
5.0 out of 5 stars Zionism and Americanism: Joined at the hip.
Reviewed in the United States on 26 August 2014
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This has been an eye-opener to me. As an American conservative Christian I am appalled by the enthusiastic support that conservative Christians give to the Jewish (Zionist) State. And until a few years ago, I was one of those cheerleaders. Gradually I have become aware of the disconnect between the actions and attitudes of the Jewish State and the what Christians should be supporting. As I read and pondered the ideas and historical perspective presented in this book, it seems to me that there is strong parallel between what the Jewish State is doing to the Palestinian people and the "Other" non-elite folks and what the American State has done with respect to the original natives of North America and continues to do with respect to everyone else in the world today. The Jewish State is at war with nearly everyone, first the Palestinians, then everyone else. Similarly the American State is as well. Zionism and Americanism are strangely similar. Perhaps this is why the Jewish State and the American State are so closely aligned. Otherwise they each would be without a friend in the world. They need each other and the last thing they desire is peace, otherwise they lose their grip on their own people. I am blessed that there are people like Ilan Pappe who can so competently and credibly present a perspective that honors the reality that people experience. Professor Pappe's presentation and perspective is validated by the shameless shunning he endures in Israel.
51 people found this helpful
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BirdBrain007
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2014
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A very useful addition to the body of knowledge on the fiction that is Israel.
Recommended.
7 people found this helpful
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Hassan Fouda
5.0 out of 5 stars "The Idea of Israel" is a must read
Reviewed in the United States on 5 April 2014
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This is another well written and well sourced book by celebrated Israeli historian Ilan Pappe. The new information and fresh analysis will be appreciated by expert historians and by the general public. It is must read for everyone.
30 people found this helpful
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Lara Marlowe
4.0 out of 5 stars http: //www. irishtimes. com/culture/books/fear-and-loathing-palestinians-pay-the-price-of-history-1.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 September 2014
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[...]
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m. jouvenel
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Mr. Pappe. Your book, together ...
Reviewed in the United States on 8 June 2015
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Thank you Mr. Pappe. Your book, together with Max Blumenthal's "Goliath" and Yosef Grodzinsky's "In the Shadow of the Holocaust", offer us a demoniac image of the State of Israel and obliges us to question the morality behind its existence. What is most exposed is the extent of the propaganda thrown at us to push us to support Israel's immoral undertaking of dispossessing and persecuting the Palestinians and this for the past 67 years. The Holocaust lasted four years !... What can we do to stop our respective governments to participate in Israel endeavour ? I read your books, I talk about them, I had several of my friends to buy them on my recommendations, but it is so little...
10 people found this helpful
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Howard Bushart
4.0 out of 5 stars Pappe is an important voice in the discussion of the ...
Reviewed in the United States on 26 December 2014
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Pappe is an important voice in the discussion of the ME and the alternate take on Israeli history. His contentious position on modern history ruffles feathers worldwide and he is absolutely worth reading.
8 people found this helpful
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Jeffrey L. Levy
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Challenging
Reviewed in the United States on 28 March 2014
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It's quite a stretch to consider this work either essential or eloquent; or to imbue the author with accolades of "bravest, principled, and incisive." Nonetheless, suspending the errors and knowing omissions, there is a good amount of historiographical narrative that is somewhere close to truth (but just doesn't quite get up the hill). I would most certainly recommend this work; as it's great to drive discussions. History has been turned inside out and upside down (mostly for good purpose; perhaps one of context); now, the serious thinkers and writers need to focus on THE HERE AND NOW. Addressing where "we" are now and how to move forward without tilting so dramatically to one side at the exclusion of the other. An important work; just not sure how it adds to or contributes to addressing peace.
10 people found this helpful
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Linda Brebner
5.0 out of 5 stars History is not always true!!
Reviewed in the United States on 1 January 2015
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I found this book to be a real challenge to my view of Israel historically. Pappe is a post Zionist Israeli historian who questions how most Israeli historians have looked at the history of Israel since 1946, which has directly and indirectly impacted the political realities in Israel, especially the relation it has with the Palestinians. I later heard Pappe speak, and I have a clearer understanding of what is going on in Israel and the surrounding region than I did before.
16 people found this helpful
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K. Aanestad
5.0 out of 5 stars Ilan Pappe tells it like it is!
Reviewed in the United States on 16 April 2016
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The author, Ilan Pappe, is a highly respected expert in the field of Israeli/Palestinian issues and he 'tells it like it is'! I respect his points of view and highly recommend this book to people who don't know what is really going on in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
4 people found this helpful
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Adam Fforde
4.0 out of 5 stars No smoke without fire
Reviewed in the United States on 23 November 2016
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Illuminating as first the point of view of somebody from the Israeli critical left, with some very vivid enemies, and second as a history.
2 people found this helpful
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wim kramers
5.0 out of 5 stars profound and fascinating study about. the all-pervasive influence of ...
Reviewed in the United States on 7 September 2014
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profound and fascinating study about .the all-pervasive influence of the zionist ideology on all aspects of Israeli life, the exploitation of the Holocaust and the battle against the delegitimation of Israel (probably the most dangerous threat for the future of the country
6 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2015
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Anyone that wants to understand not only the political aspects, but the disenfranchisement of non-Zionist Jews as well as Israeli-Palestinians,women,and gays.
5 people found this helpful
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Nabs
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 30 July 2017
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Excellent book must read for all who follow the Arab Israeli Conflict
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Tariq Husain
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 2 August 2014
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A well researched book on an important country . The author has swam against the current.And has been
objective
5 people found this helpful
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Stanley F. Ratner
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in the United States on 29 October 2014
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Superb analysis of Zionism as both an historic and contemporary force in Israeli life. Highly recommended
5 people found this helpful
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