On the topic of Israel, in my current research, I've just finished two really outstanding books about the "History of Israel" that goes a long way toward explaining how we got where we are. The first one is Victor Tcherikover's "Hellenistic Civilization and the Jews"
http://www.amazon.com/Hellenistic-Civilization-Jews-Victor-Tcherikover/dp/1565634764/ref=sr_1_1
and
Mario Liverani's "Israel's History and the History of Israel"
http://www.amazon.com/Israels-History-Israel-BibleWorld/dp/1845533410/ref=sr_1_3
Both are by very eminent historians and NOT by Bible thumpers. Tcherikover was a Jew and something of a Zionist, and there is a whiff of apologetic, but his training rises to the top and he is really straightforward about why people hated/hate the Jews. Liverani makes it pretty clear that this situation was the result of the creation and imposition of a certain form of Judaism on the ordinary people.
A third, most interesting book is Gabriele Boccaccini's "Beyond the Essene Hypothesis: The Parting of the Ways between Qumran and Enochic Judaism"
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Essene-Hypothesis-Parting-between/dp/0802843603/ref=sr_1_4
What is interesting about all of the above books is seeing certain behaviors and dynamics repeat over and over again so that one could easily think they are reading about modern times. That is, in my opinion, very useful for understanding both the deeper nature of the problem as well as the likely result of the ideological trajectory.
There is nothing new under the sun.
http://www.amazon.com/Hellenistic-Civilization-Jews-Victor-Tcherikover/dp/1565634764/ref=sr_1_1
and
Mario Liverani's "Israel's History and the History of Israel"
http://www.amazon.com/Israels-History-Israel-BibleWorld/dp/1845533410/ref=sr_1_3
Both are by very eminent historians and NOT by Bible thumpers. Tcherikover was a Jew and something of a Zionist, and there is a whiff of apologetic, but his training rises to the top and he is really straightforward about why people hated/hate the Jews. Liverani makes it pretty clear that this situation was the result of the creation and imposition of a certain form of Judaism on the ordinary people.
A third, most interesting book is Gabriele Boccaccini's "Beyond the Essene Hypothesis: The Parting of the Ways between Qumran and Enochic Judaism"
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Essene-Hypothesis-Parting-between/dp/0802843603/ref=sr_1_4
What is interesting about all of the above books is seeing certain behaviors and dynamics repeat over and over again so that one could easily think they are reading about modern times. That is, in my opinion, very useful for understanding both the deeper nature of the problem as well as the likely result of the ideological trajectory.
There is nothing new under the sun.