The British Mandate over Palestine began in July 1920, when Sir Herbert Samuel, the first British High Commissioner to Palestine, took his seat at Government House, Jerusalem. The chapters analyze a wide cross-section of the conflicting issues, social, political and strategical that attended British colonial rule over the country.

Foreword Professor Sari Nusseibeh Editor’s Introduction Michael J Cohen Part 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 CohenPart 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 Khaizran 8. A troubled bond: The Palestinian-Arab national movement and the Arab states Avraham Sela Part III. Zionist Perspectives 9. 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 and Motti Golani 15. David Ben-Gurion’s ‘road-map’ to independence, May 1948 Tuvia Friling Conclusion 16. Arab-Zionist negotiations during the Mandate: An unbridgeable divide Laura Zittrain Eisenberg and Neil Caplan