Yigal Allon, Native Son: A Biography (Jewish Culture and Contexts)
| Author | Anita Shapira, translated by Evelyn Abel |
| Publication information | University of Pennsylvania Press, November 9, 2007, 400 pages |
| Abbreviation | ISBN 10 0812240286 |
Narrative
Yigal Allon rose to become one of the founding figures of the state of Israel and an architect of its politics.
In 1945, Yigal Allon became commander of the Palmach, during the struggle against the British for independence.
In the 1947-49 War of Independence against local and invading Arab armies, he led the decisive battles that largely determined the borders of Israel.
Paradoxically, his close lifelong relations with Arab neighbors did not prevent him from being a chief agent of their sizable displacement.
A bestseller in Israel, and translated into English, Yigal Allon, Native Son is a biography of this charismatic leader.
The book focuses on Allon's life up to 1950, his clash with founding father David Ben-Gurion, the end of his military career, and the watershed in culture and character between the Jewish Yishuv and Israeli statehood.
As a statesman in his more mature years, he formulated what became known as the Allon Plan, a blueprint for a two-state partition between Israel and the Palestinians.
In the end, the promise Allon showed as a brilliant young military commander remained unfulfilled. The great dream of the Palmach generation was largely lost, and Allon's name became associated with the failed policies of the past.