Published in just 2023, Kessler’s work is the first exploration of the (Great) Arab Revolt in Palestine of 1936-1939 for general audience. Which only underlines the tremendous lack of accessible historical material in this seemingly world-shaking conflict.

As every historian makes a bet on what to consider the zero hour of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Kessler argues that the revolt may very well be it, but at the very list it still massively influenced or even predetermined everything that followed, leading up the consequences of War of Independence.

The book undertakes a fresh (for me) approach: the key events of the revolt are followed through a set of biographies of relevant figures, somewhat equally divided between Jewish, Arab and British portraits. This turns it into a dynamic and volumetric narration, rich in details, even though quite short.

It is worth mentioning that Kessler lost a close relative as a first responder on October 7, the day he also had a wedding.