With full coverage of recent dramatic events in Israeli politics from the Rabin assassination through the prime ministership of Benyamin Netanyahu to the electoral victory of Ehud Barak, this is the most current introduction to Israeli politics and society available today. It is also an enormously readable and engaging book. It conveys a strong sense of everyday life in Israel, the ethnic composition and institutional structure of Israeli society, the nuances and contradictions of Israeli identity, Israeli political culture, and the issues that dominate Israeli domestic and foreign policy debates. Enlivened with anecdotes and supplied with maps, a glossary, and suggested readings, this book is accessible to anyone interested. It has been especially popular with students, tourists, and travelers.