The British Mandate in Palestine A Centenary Volume, 1920–2020

The British Mandate over Palestine began just 100 years ago, in July 1920, when Sir Herbert Samuel, the first British High Commissioner to Palestine, took his seat at Government House, Jerusalem. The chapters hereanalyse a wide cross-section of the conflicting issues --social, political and strategical--that attended British colonial rule over the country, from 1920 to 1948. This anthology contains contributions by several of the most respected Israeli scholars in the field – Arab, Druze and Jewish. It is divided into three sections, covering the differing perspectives of the main ‘actors’ in the ‘Palestine Triangle’: the British, the Arabs and the Zionists. The concluding chapter identifies a pattern of seven counterproductive negotiating behaviours that explain the repeated failure of the parties to agree upon any of the proposals for an Arab-Zionist peace in Mandated Palestine. The volume is a modern review of the British Mandate in Palestine from different perspectives, which makes it a valuable addition to the field. It is a key resource for students and scholars interested in international relations, history of the Middle East, Palestine and Israel.

Foreword Professor Sari NusseibehEditor’s Introduction Michael J CohenPart I. British Perspectives 1. Colonial Intrigue in the Middle East: The Faysal – [Lawrence] - Weizmann Agreement, January 1919 Michael J Cohen 2. The anti-Zionist ‘Jewish Khazar’ Syndrome in the official British mind Rory Miller 3. Churchill and Bevin: Thesis and anti-Thesis? Michael J Cohen Part II. Arab Perspectives 4. Between local Palestinian and pan-Arab nationalism among Palestinians during the British mandate: Akram Zu’ayter as an example Mustafa Kabha 5. The Palestinian Political Parties: Democracy and the Clan Rami Zaidan 6. The rise and fall of the Palestinian-Arab middle class Itamar Radai 7. Difference, not fragmentation: Christians and Druze in Mandatory Palestine Yusri Khaizran8. A troubled bond: The Palestinian-Arab national movement and the Arab statesAvraham Sela Part III. Zionist Perspectives9. Zionism as a blessing to the Arabs:History of an argument Hillel Cohen 10. Jewish Immigration: The Base of the Palestine Triangle Aviva Halamish 11. Zionist land acquisition:A core element in establishing Israel Kenneth W. Stein 12. The Origins of Military Zionism Colin Shindler 13. Is Zionism Colonialism? Yoav Gelber 14.Chaim Weizmann: From the Balfour Declaration to the establishment of the state of Israel Jehuda Reinharz andMotti Golani 15. David Ben-Gurion’s ‘road-map’ to independence, May 1948Tuvia Friling Conclusion 16. Arab-Zionist negotiations during the Mandate: An unbridgeable divide Laura Zittrain Eisenberg and Neil Caplan

Michael J Cohen is Emeritus Professor of History at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Among his publications are Churchill and the Jews; Truman an Israel; Fighting World War Three from the Middle East: Allied Contingency Plans, 1945-1954; Strategy and Politics in the Middle East: Defending the Northern Tier; and Britain’s Moment in Palestine: Retrospect and Perspectives, 1917-1948.