This book seeks to present a detailed historical reconstruction of the tapestry of political thought on international affairs in the Jewish society of Israel. It attempts to trace the intellectual origins of the divided heritage of Israel's foreign policy – Socialist Zionism and Revisionism. In order to do this, we must return to the most dramatic years in the modern history of the Jewish people. The last decade of the British Mandate in Palestine was indeed a remarkable one. It was both tragic and revolutionary; only a few years separate the Holocaust from the birth of Israel. Much has been written about the military and political aspects of these years, but less about the methods, values and concepts that shaped Israel's diplomacy.

The dark clouds gathering over Europe, and the Arab Revolt of 1936, changed the international perspective of the small Jewish community of Palestine. A few years later, the world order changed radically, and the European balance of power, in which Zionism had operated for decades, disintegrated, to be replaced by a new and menacing bi-polar structure. Almost every party, faction and political group was forced to define a foreign-policy programme and attempt to cope with the mounting problems of the external arena. Although desperate, these efforts were decisive as they tackled such questions as what kind of world order would best advance Zionist aims and, as even Britain moved away from old promises

and bonds, which power was the best ally for the Jewish people? Lastly, what moral price was to be paid if rebellion and armed struggle remained the only path to sovereignty? These dilemmas were first and foremost the preoccupation of the socialist leadership.