Ian Black is aware of Ben-Gurion’s myth making—so why can’t his new book step outside it?

Former Guardian Middle East Editor Ian Black begins his story with the capture of Jerusalem in 1917 by British-led troops. The British Empire was handed control over Palestine by its allies at the 1920 post-war conference in San Remo. Ottoman residents gained British passports, while nationalists among the 700,000 strong Palestinian community and 80,000 strong Jewish Yishuv believed their new masters would favour their competing aspirations to self-rule.

The 1920s saw…