Simha Flapan (1911–1987) was an Israeli historian and politician, probably best known for his book The Birth of Israel: Myths And Realities, published in the year of his death. The book has been considered crucial in the demythologizing of the story of the founding of the modern state of Israel. In this respect, is generally considered one of the New Historians, although he was a generation older than most of the people identified with that label.

Flapan was National Secretary of the left Zionist Mapam party, and the director of its Arab Affairs department. [1]

Works

• Zionism and the Palestinians, Croom and Helm, London, 1979.
• The Birth of Israel: Myths And Realities, Pantheon Books, New York; ISBN 039455888X (August 1987).