Abstract
WHEN DAVID BEN-GURION stunned the nation in 1953 and moved to Sede Boqer, a newly formed, remote southern kibbutz, it was a radical statement from a radical leader reflecting the depth of his personal commitment to conquering the Negev desert. Ben-Gurion was obsessed with what he perceived to be the neglected state of Israel's southlands-an area that included some 60 percent of the country's area, but only a tiny fraction of its people. After leading his nation through a war of independence, it was as if he had decided to personally wage war against his country's hot and desolate desert: "If the state does not exterminate the desert.. the desert will exterminate the state" was his grim battle cry.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Between Ruin and Restoration |
Subtitle of host publication | An Environmental History of Israel |
Publisher | University of Pittsburgh Press |
Pages | 106-128 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Volume | 9780822978114 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780822978114 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780822962229 |
State | Published - 1 Jan 2012 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities