From the prologue, "All wars have political causes, all have political origins. However, the series of conflicts between Israelis and Arabs since 1948 have their roots farther back in history than most of the wars of recent times, and their causes are a complicated mixture of political, ideological, and religious differences that are not easily susceptible to negotiation and resolution."

Includes index.

bk. 1. The first Arab-Israeli War (1947-1949) -- bk. 2. The Sinai-Suez War, October-November 1956 -- bk. 3. The Six Day War, June 1967 -- bk. 4. The war of attrition, 1967-1970 -- bk. 5. The October War, 1973 : the War of Ramadan : the Yom Kippur War.