My Promised Land

About My Promised Land

My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit provides a chronological exploration of the Zionist movement and the development of the State of Israel, spanning from the late nineteenth century to the early 2010s. Published in 2013, the work blends personal narrative, historical research, and investigative journalism to examine the complexities of the Israeli experience. Shavit, a long-time columnist for the newspaper Haaretz, structures the book around pivotal moments and specific locations that define the nation’s identity. The narrative begins with the 1897 arrival of the author’s great-grandfather at the port of Jaffa, serving as a lens through which to view the early aspirations and challenges of European Zionism.

The text proceeds through the twentieth century, detailing the establishment of early agricultural settlements and the subsequent conflicts that shaped the region. A significant portion of the book focuses on the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, specifically examining