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From Powerlessness to Power: Zionism in Theory and Practice, 1882–1950

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

Neil Caplan
Affiliation:
Vanier College

Abstract

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Type
Review Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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References

1 This volume, following upon The origins of Zionism (Oxford, 1975)Google Scholar and Zionism: the formative years (Oxford, 1982), completes a trilogy which together cover the period 1881–1919 and constitute a pioneering work of diplomatic historyGoogle Scholar.

2 In one of many perceptive footnotes, writes, Vital: ‘The entire subject of such stereotypical thinking and its influence on political, diplomatic and strategic policy in the Middle East is at once familiar, important, and badly in need of close investigation. Whether such an investigation can itself ever be free of such thinking remains an open question’ (p. 317)Google Scholar.

3 See, for example Katznelson, Berl, Writings [Heb.] (Tel Aviv, 1950), II, 46 f.Google Scholar; New Judaea (London), 3 07 1925, p. 337Google Scholar; Assaf, M., The Arab awakening in the flight from Palestine [Heb.] (Tel Aviv, 1967), pp. 102Google Scholar f.; Caplan, N., ‘Britain, Zionism and the Arabs, 1917–1925’, Wiener Library Bulletin, XXXI, N.S., nos. 45/46 (1978), 417Google Scholar.

4 For example, L. Stein to F. H. Kisch, 8 June 1923, Jerusalem, Central Zionist Archives (C.Z.A.), Z4/16050; same to same, 12 June 1923, ibid. Z4/16061.

5 Ch. Arlosoroff to Ch. Weizmann, 30 June 1932, Rehovot, Weizmann Archives. See also Caplan, N., ‘Zionist visions in the early 1930s’, Studies in contemporary Jewry: an annual, IV, ed. Frankel, J. (Oxford, 1988), pp. 256–9Google Scholar.

6 Report to cabinet, 8 March 1939, London, Public Record Office, CO 733/406, file 75872/11. See also Caplan, N., Futile diplomacy (2 vols., London, 1983, 1986), II, 105–18Google Scholar, 240–62.

7 Oxford, 1979.

8 While considering an appeal from the yishuv's elected council, Bennett, J. S. minuted in 12 1942: ‘Familiar stuff. The Jews have spoilt their case by laying it on too thick for years past.’ Zweig tucks away tidbits of this kind in a footnote (p. 135)Google Scholar.

9 Here, as in other areas (see note 15), Professor Gorny appears only partially aware of an extensive body of accumulated scholarship covering his topic. One is left to wonder whether he is simply unaware of the existence of the following publications, or whether he considers them unworthy of either use or mention: Ro'i, Y., ‘The Zionist attitude to the Arabs, 1908–1914’ [orig. published in 1968], in Palestine and Israel in the igth and 20th Centuries, eds. Kedourie, Elie and Haim, Sylvia G. (London, 1982), pp. 1559Google Scholar; Elon, A., The Israelis: founders and sons (London/New York, 1972)Google Scholar, ch. 7; Laqueur, W., A history of Zionism (New York, 1972), pp. 211–34Google Scholar.

10 See Ben-Gurion, D., My talks with Arab leaders (Jerusalem/New York, 1972), p. 22Google Scholar; Caplan, N., Palestine Jewry and the Arab question, 1917–1925 (London, 1978), pp. 3Google Scholar, 203.

11 See Hattis, S. L., The bi-national idea in Palestine during mandatory times (Haifa, 1970), pp. 231–49Google Scholar. The committee's hearings (1940–2) are in C.Z.A. files S25/2992, S25/3780 and S25/8987, and its report is in S25/204.

12 See, for example, Caplan, Futile diplomacy, II, chs. 5–6.

13 Beginning with a typographical error in the Hebrew title of the book (…veha-be'ayah haYehundit) on the back of the title page, this reviewer has counted more than 150 misprints, minor factual errors, incomplete references, and inconsistencies in translation and transliteration. This manuscript seems to have gone to press with little or no proof-reading by author or editors.

14 For example, Cohen, A., Israel and the Arab world (London/New York, 1970)Google Scholar; Porath, Y., The emergence of the Palestinian-Arab national movement, 1918–1929 (London, 1974)Google Scholar; Ben-Gurion, My talks; Ruppin, A., Memoirs, diaries, letters, ed. Bein, A. (London, 1970)Google Scholar; Ch. Weizmann, , Trial and error (London, 1949)Google Scholar; Zionism and the Arabs: essays, ed. Almog, Sh. (Jerusalem, 1983)Google Scholar.

15 As extensive as the bibliography appears at first glance, it does not include a number of important books. In addition to neglected sources cited in note 9, the following could be added: The Israel-Arab reader, eds. Laqueur, W. and Rubin, B., 4th edn (New York, 1985)Google Scholar; Bauer, Y., From diplomacy to resistance: a history of Jewish Palestine, 1939–1945, (Philadelphia, 1970)Google Scholar; A land of two peoples: Martin Buber on Jews and Arabs. ed. Mendes-Flohre, P. R. (New York, 1983)Google Scholar; and Haim, Y., Abandonment of illusions: Zionist political attitudes toward Palestinian Arab nationalism (Boulder, 1983)Google Scholar. Examples of pertinent articles which Gorny has either not noticed or chosen not to utilize are: Shapira, Anita, ‘The ideology and practice of the joint Jewish–Arab labour union in Palestine’, Journal of Contemporary History, XII (1977), 669–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Haim, Y., ‘Zionist attitudes toward partition, 1937–38’, Jewish Social Studies, XL (1978), 303–20Google Scholar; Sha'altiel, E., ‘David Ben-Gurion on Partition’, Jerusalem Quarterly, no. 10 (winter 1979), 3859Google Scholar; A. Kedar, ‘Brith Shalom’ [with documents], ibid. no. 18 (winter 1981), 55–85; Rubinstein, E., ‘Zionist attitudes on the Jewish-Arab conflict until 1936’, in Zionism and the Arabs: essays, pp. 3572Google Scholar; I. Kolatt, ‘the Zionist movement and the Arabs’, in ibid. pp. 1–34. (Gorny does make use of another article which appears in the last-mentioned collection.)

16 Sometimes it is the clumsy terminology used or the belaboured analysis which suggests that Professor Gorny is unaware of subjects which have already been treated elsewhere. For example, the episode of the controversial Arab–Jewish negotiations undertaken by five prominent yishuv personalities in 1936 has been extensively discussed in both the Hebrew and English literature as the ‘negotiations of the five’ Professor Gorny refers to none of this literature and invents his own awkward name for the episode. The affair of ‘the five’ is, in fact, discussed extensively in some of the works which Gorny cites, but only in other contexts: e.g.: Ben-Gurion, , My talks, pp. 70103Google Scholar; Hattis, , Bi-national idea, pp. 144–54Google Scholar; Cohen, A., Israel and the Arab world, pp. 269Google Scholar f. Other serious works dealing with the affair of ‘the five’ not cited by Gorny include: Sela, A., ‘Talks and contacts between Zionist leaders and Palestinian-Arab leaders [Heb.], ha-Mizrah he-Hadash, XXII (1972), 414–20Google Scholar; Cohen, M. J., ‘Secret diplomacy and rebellion in Palestine, 1936–1939’, International Journal of Middle East Studies, VIII (1977), 385–9Google Scholar; and Dothan, Sh., ‘Attempts at an Arab-Jewish agreement during the thirties’, Studies in Zionism no. 2 (autumn 1980), 220–4Google Scholar.

17 See, e.g. Yellin, D., Report of a visit to Amman by a Va'ad Leumi [National Council] delegation and Col. Kisch, F. H. of the Palestine Zionist Executive [Heb.], 31 01 1924Google Scholar, C.Z.A., Ji/3487. Cf. Shlaim, pp. 615 f.

18 Sharef, Z., Three days (London, 1962), pp. 72–6Google Scholar; Syrkin, M., Golda Meir: woman with a cause (London, 1964), pp. 195202Google Scholar; Kurzman, D., Genesis 1948: the first Arab-Israeli war (New York, 1970), pp. 42–4Google Scholar, 246 f.; and Meir, G., My life (New York 1975), pp. 176–80Google Scholar. The Golda-Abdullah meeting was also re-enacted for American television in 1981, when NBC screened the highly popular dramatization ‘A woman called Golda’, which starred Ingrid Bergman.

19 See, inter alia, Nevo, J., Abdullah and the Palestinian Arabs [Heb.] (Tel Aviv, 1975)Google Scholar and Abdullah and the Arabs of Palestine’, Wiener Library Bulletin, XXXI, N.S., Nos. 45/46 (1978), 5162Google Scholar; Shapira, A., ‘The option on Ghaur al-Kibd: contacts between Emir Abdullah and the Zionist executive, 1932–1935’, Studies in Zionism, no. 2 (1980), 239–83CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Sela, A., ‘Political contacts between Jewish representatives and the governments of Transjordan and Egypt…’, ]Heb.], haTziyonnut, X (1985) andGoogle ScholarFrom contacts to negotiations [Heb.] (Tel Aviv, 1985)Google Scholar; Caplan, , Futile diplomacy, I, 51–4Google Scholar; II, 11–14, 40–2, 65–7, 92–5, 145–7, 157–64, 188 f., 203–6, 216 f, 238 f., 268–71, 277–9.

20 Perhaps the most offensive line in the book is ‘The famous black patch worn by Dayan on his left eye served to underline the piratical nature of the policy proposed by the young officer’ (p. 572).

21 My memoirs completed: ‘al takmitah’ (London, 1978)Google Scholar.

22 E.g. Sayigh, Anis, The Hashemites and the Palestine question [Arabic], (Beirut, 1966)Google Scholar.