Mandate: The Palestine Crucible, 1919-1939 PDF
Preview Mandate: The Palestine Crucible, 1919-1939
Leslie’s manuscript on the Middle East gives a fascinating insight into the inner M workings of British Foreign policy at the time. There are many lessons to be learned A M A N D A T E from that period not least that without a consistent policy and clear objectives N D reasonably early on you are bound to end up antagonising all sides. A Tony Blair, Prime Minister, 19972007; Special Envoy of the T Quartet to the Middle East, 20072015 E T h (A)n astonishing feat of scholarship and analysis that sits at the nexus of history, e The Palestine Crucible, 1919–1939 foreign policy and most importantly, a timely assessment of where Britain is P a heading based on the prison and prism of the past. It is impossible to read this l e s book and not reflect on where we are in IsraelArab relations and Britain’s path t i to decline. n Ed Husain, author of The House of Islam e C (A)n excellent narrative and very readable book. r u Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary c i b l e [T]horoughly enjoyed it .... it is stuffed with facts and events which were new to me. , Leslie Turnberg Lord Howell of Guildford, Foreign Office Minister 2010–2012 19 1 9 The twenty years between the World Wars saw remarkable changes in the Middle – 1 East. In Palestine, Britain struggled to maintain its Mandatory Authority as Arabs and 9 3 Jews fought not only each other but the British Government too. Failing to satisfy 9 either side Britain was stuck in the middle, and separating the warring parties was a distraction they hardly needed. Here Turnberg explores why the British Government maintained its responsibilities under the Mandate at a time when they were suffering severe economic and social problems at home, and the threat of war with Germany. How was it possible for the Zionists’ dream of a homeland in Palestine to survive when they were faced by a Government regretting its commitments, exasperated by both Jewish demands and placating the Palestinian Arabs. The Jews were outnumbered ten to one by the Arabs, but they persisted and, as described here, survived. Events in the first twenty years of the Mandate turned out to be as important to the survival of the Jewish homeland as both the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the international revulsion at the horrors of the holocaust for the creation of the State of Israel. L e After a career in medicine in which he was successively Professor of Medicine in Manchester, s a Dean of its Medical School, President of the Royal College of Physicians and now a member lie of the House of Lords, Leslie Turnberg turned his attentions to the history of Israel and the Tu r Middle East. His first book, on the 100 years quest for Israeli–Palestinian peace, was published n b in 2017. This is his second, more detailed, analysis of the Mandate years. He lives in London e r with his wife Edna. g VALLENTINE MITCHELL ISBN 978 1 912676 67 5 Catalyst House 814 N. Franklin Street 720 Centennial Court Chicago, Illinois Centennial Park 60610 VALLENTINE Elstree, WD6 3SY, UK USA MITCHELL VALLENTINE www.vmbooks.com MITCHELL 00-Prelims_Layout 1 3/26/2021 12:54 PM Page i MANDATE 00-Prelims_Layout 1 3/26/2021 12:54 PM Page ii 00-Prelims_Layout 1 3/26/2021 12:54 PM Page iii MANDATE The Palestine Crucible, 1919–1939 Leslie Turnberg VALLENTINE MITCHELL LONDON • CHICAGO 00-Prelims_Layout 1 3/26/2021 12:54 PM Page iv First published in 2021 by Vallentine Mitchell Catalyst House, 814 N. Franklin Street, 720 Centennial Court, Chicago, Illinois Centennial Park, Elstree WD6 3SY, UK 60610 USA www.vmbooks.com Copyright © Leslie Turnberg 2021 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: An entry can be found on request ISBN 978 1 912676 67 5 (Paper) ISBN 978 1 912676 68 2 (Ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: An entry can be found on request All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, reading or otherwise, without the prior permission of Vallentine Mitchell & Co. Ltd. 01-Body_Layout 1 3/26/2021 1:01 PM Page v Contents Acknowledgements vii List of Illustrations ix Maps x Introduction 1 PART ONE 1. Three Conflicting Legacies 11 2. Peace Conference, Paris, 1919 19 3. The Zionists’ Case 29 4. Faisal in Paris: The Arab Case 36 5. Two Conflicting Commissions 43 6. San Remo and Geneva: Mandate Established, 1922 48 7. Riots and Other Disasters, 1920-1925 58 8. Palestinian and Parliamentary Opposition, 1922 68 9. Herbert Samuel Takes Over, 1920-1925 78 10. Churchill’s Lines in the Sand: The Cairo Conference, 1921 93 11. Rutenberg Electrifies Palestine 100 12. Husseini and Jabotinsky: Deadly Enemies and Extreme Driving Forces 108 13. Gathering Clouds: 1925-1929 121 14. Commissions of Inquiry 134 15. A ‘White’ Paper and a ‘Black’ Letter 145 01-Body_Layout 1 3/26/2021 1:01 PM Page vi vi Contents PART TWO 16. The Difficult Thirties 157 17. Peace Movements and Frustrating Minority Sports 164 18. Growing Instability 173 19. Peel and Partition 179 20. Woodhead Report, London Conference and a ‘White Paper’ 189 21. Coda 201 Bibliography 209 Index 212 01-Body_Layout 1 3/26/2021 1:01 PM Page vii Acknowledgements It was inevitable that in writing this book I would have to rely on many others. Not being trained in history I relied on my background in the techniques of medical research and applied them to historical research. It soon became clear that I needed more guidance and I have been fortunate in my choice of selfless and knowledgeable supporters. They have made my task not only easier but safer as they have prevented me from making too many errors of fact and judgement. Needless to say, any residual mistakes are entirely my own. It is a pleasure to express my gratitude to historians whom I have long admired. James Barr went through my text in detail and with a keen eye. David Pryce-Jones made many perceptive comments that kept me in line and Ed Hussein gave me a number of extremely helpful pointers. I have been fortunate too to gain the opinions of British political figures steeped in foreign affairs and in particular, in the Middle East. Lord David Howell has been Foreign Minister on the Front Bench in the Lords and highly respected for his views on international affairs. Sir Malcolm Rifkind was Foreign Secretary in the Thatcher and Major governments and Tony Blair was Labour Prime Minister and, for over seven years, the UN Special Envoy to Israel-Palestine. Each of them gave their time to read my manuscript and make extremely helpful comments. Their support has been invaluable. Many others, too numerous to mention by name, have contributed in many ways. But I cannot avoid singling out Amina Harris, Loretta Cash, David Stone, Emmanuel Grodzinsky and David Turner for their particularly kind support. I am keen too to mention the ever-considerate Toby Harris at Vallentine Mitchell who has gently shepherded me through the prolonged gestation of this book. Lisa Hyde too was ever-supportive in editing this work. To all of them and the many others, I offer much thanks, but it is to my dear wife Edna that I dedicate this book for all her patience, support and encouragement during more than 50 years of marriage. 01-Body_Layout 1 3/26/2021 1:01 PM Page viii List of Illustrations 1. Three Maps. A) Map of Mandatory Palestine, 1920. B) Map after partition of Palestine with Trans-Jordan now East of the River Jordan, 1921. C) Map 0f Middle East, 1930s. (Each by permission of ‘Stand with Us’) 2. Chaim Weizmann drawn by Chaim Topol. (Attr. Chaim Topol and Jordan River Village). 3. Prince Faisal and his support group at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. T.E. Lawrence stands immediately to his right. (Photographer unknown, Wikimedia Commons). 4. San Remo Conference. Delegates, 25th April, 1920. Prime Minister Lloyd George at front; M. Berthelot, French Foreign Minister, extreme right and M. Millerand, French Premier, third from right. (Photographer unknown, Wikimedia Commons). 5. Sir Herbert (later Lord) Samuel, first High Commissioner to Palestine, 1920-1925. (The Portrait Picture Library). 6. Pinchas Rutenberg, centre front, surrounded by his management team at the ‘Naharyim’ Hydro-electric station. (Israel Electric Corporation). 7. Rutenberg’s Hydro-electric plant at ‘Naharyim’ (Two Rivers) on the Jordan River. (Israel Electric Corporation). 8. Grand Mufti, Haj Amin el Husseini. (Archive of Library of Congress and American Colony, Jerusalem). 9. Vladimir Jabotinsky, 1926. (National Photo Collection of Israel). 10. Chaim Arlosoroff memorial at the site of his assassination (June 16th, 1933), on the beach in Tel Aviv. (Artist Drora Domini, Wikimedia Commons). 11. Proposal for partition of Palestine in the Palestine Royal Commission Report of 1937, (the Peel Report). The map delineates Jewish and Arab areas, while the hatched area is an International zone. (Palestine Royal Commission Report (Peel Report), 1937). 01-Body_Layout 1 3/26/2021 1:01 PM Page ix List of Illustrations ix 12. ‘Standing Room Only’, ‘After all, it does give you National Standing.’: Ormsby-Gore, Colonial Secretary. Cartoon by David Low published in the Evening Standard, 30 July, 1937. (British Cartoon Archive, Solo Syndication Media).
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