One Palestine, Complete; Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate

by Tom Segev; Translated by Haim Watzman

• ISBN13: 9780805048483
• ISBN10: 0805048480
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2000-11-14
• Publisher: Metropolitan Books

Summary

A panoramic and provocative history of life in Palestine during the three strife-torn but romantic decades when Britain ruled and the seeds of today's conflicts were sown Tom Segev's acclaimed works, 1949 and The Seventh Million, overturned accepted views of the history of Israel. Now Segev explores the dramatic period before the creation of the state, when Britain ruled over "one Palestine, complete" (as noted in the receipt signed by the High Commissioner) and when its promise to both Jews and Arabs that they would inherit the land set in motion the conflict that haunts the region to this day. Drawing on a wealth of untapped archival materials, Segev reconstructs a tumultuous era (1917 to 1948) of limitless possibilities and tragic missteps. He introduces the legendary figures--General Allenby, Lawrence of Arabia, David Ben-Gurion--as well as an array of pioneers, secret agents, diplomats, and fanatics. He tracks the steady advance of Jews and Arabs toward confrontation and with his hallmark originality puts forward a radical new argument: that the British, far from being pro-Arab, as commonly thought, consistently favored the Zionist position, and did so out of the mistaken--and anti-Semitic belief that Jews turned the wheels of history. Rich in unforgettable characters, sensitive to all perspectives, One Palestine, Complete brilliantly depicts the decline of an empire, the birth of one nation, and the tragedy of another.

Author Biography

Tom Segev is a columnist for Ha'aretz, Israel's leading newspaper, and author of two now-classic works on the history of Israel, 1949: The First Israelis and The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust. He lives in Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Until We Meet Again	1	(12)
PART I: ILLUSION (1917-27)	13	(508)
Khalil al-Sakakini Receives a Visitor	13	(20)
``A Contract with Jewry''	33	(24)
Self-Service	57	(28)
Ego Versus Ego	85	(17)
Between Mohammed and Mr. Cohen	102	(25)
Nebi Musa, 1920	127	(18)
A Steady Gaze and a Firm Jaw	145	(28)
Jaffa, 1921	173	(29)
Culture Wars	202	(22)
Yefim Gordin Comes to Palestine	224	(25)
A New Man	249	(21)
Negotiations with Friends	270	(25)
PART II: TERROR (1928-38)
The Nerves of Jerusalem	295	(19)
Hebron, 1929	314	(1)
Breakfast at Chequers	314	(28)
Hamlet in Bir Zeit	342	(18)
Khalil al-Sakakini Builds a Home	360	(15)
Made in Palestine	375	(22)
The Story of a Donkey	397	(18)
Ireland in Palestine	415	(32)
PART III: RESOLUTION (1939-48)
Hunting Season	447	(21)
``Give Me a Country Without Wars''	468	(19)
The Last Salute	487	(34)
Notes	521	(79)
Acknowledgments	600	(3)
Index	603