Israeli historian Tom Segev offers a masterful account of the complex figure of David Ben-Gurion, founder of the State of Israel.

Visionary leader, despot, statesman, petty small-town politician – Ben-Gurion was all of these things. Tom Segev uses previously unreleased archive material to give an original, nuanced account that transcends the myths and legends that have built up around David Ben-Gurion, a leader who sought a state ‘at any cost’.

Tom Segev is one of Israel’s most celebrated historians. A State At Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion is his latest book.

Jonathan Freedland is a weekly columnist and writer for the Guardian. He presents BBC Radio 4’s The Long View. The recipient of the 2014 Orwell Prize, he also writes thrillers, most recently To Kill the President.

Sponsored by the New Israel Fund.