Hunting Season : Palestine 1945-1948

Herbert Russcol worked with the Haganah, yet his page-turner about the years just prior to & including the declaration of Israel's statehood, his marvelous recreation of the historic enmity between Haganah leader David Ben Gurion & Irgun commander Menachem Begin is heavily sympathetic to the latter. The title refers to Ben Gurion's for an operation to search out his enemy's Irgun followers. When Golda Meir is finally able to persuade him to call off his hunt & concentrate on fighting the British instead, he nevertheless continues to do violence to Begin's cause; the shelling & sinking of the Altelena shall suffice here as an example. This is historical writing at its best; a drama thst sheds light on those tragic years when Jews were fighting to get the British out of Palestine. It gives all the credit to Begin & his followers, & it places the blame for the death & maiming of the young members of the Irgun in Ben Gurion's court. This book will be sure to generate discussion for a long time to come.--G.H., AJL NEWSLETTER, May-June 1989.Russcol, Herbert is the author of 'Hunting Season : Palestine 1945-1948', published 1989 under ISBN 9780943247052 and ISBN 0943247055.