British historian David Cesarani's new book, Major Farran's Hat, tells a familiar tale of militants in Palestine carrying out acts of terrorism while making claims for an independent homeland. We've heard similar stories before, but this one takes place in 1947, and the terrorists described are fighting against British rule for a Jewish state.

The book, a nonfiction account of the final days of the British mandate in Palestine, revisits a long-forgotten murder that, Cesarani argues, helped lay the groundwork for creation of the state of Israel.

Cesarani is also the author of Becoming Eichmann: Rethinking the Life, Crimes, and Trial of a "Desk Murderer."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.