If you’re interested in a detailed account of the 1947-48 war between Jews and Palestinians that led to the declaration of an Israeli State, but are without the time or current inclination to read a book-length treatment, Israeli historian Benny Morris offers one at HistoryNet.com. Still, give yourself half an hour.

Almost as instructive as Morris’s recounting of events is the comments section that follows. It spans the expected range, but it is interesting to note how much of the anti-Israeli sentiment is not directed at current or relatively recent events, but simply rejects Jewish claims to land and the right of Israel to exist.

In any argument, progress is always contingent on recognizing the true point of contention. Arguments against Israel now frequently mask this one.

AJA