Product Description

One of the great dramas in British imperial history, the strife-torn three decades of British rule in Palestine, known as the Mandate, remain controversial even now, more than fifty years after the last British High Commissioner left Jerusalem. British policies, promises, and the mere presence of Britain in the Holy Land are still passionately debated and deplored. The thousands of British citizens who actually lived and worked in Palestine have, however, been overlooked. Here for the first time is their story, drawn largely from personal letters, diaries, and memoirs that vividly describe their success in adapting to life in Palestine, their attitudes toward Arabs and Jews, their accomplishments and missteps, and their strong sense of imperial mission. This powerful account brings to life a notable chapter in the history of the Middle East and provides a new perspective on the struggle there for independence and nationhood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #476756 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Review

"An intimate picture of the lives of British officials and their families from the time that the British instituted their military occupation in 1918 through the last bitter days of the British evacuation in May 1948... The value of Sherman's book lies not in analyzing or describing actual British policies but in revealing the personal views of the increasingly beleaguered British, as expressed in their diaries and letters home. These personal records are particularly revealing in depicting their frayed nerves during the final years... They bewailed the catastrophic ending of the mandate, angry that they had simply abandoned power and fled instead of smoothly transferring the administrative systems to their Jewish and/or Arab successors." -- Ann M. Lesch, MESA Bulletin

"Sherman has written a most valuable book which adds an important dimension to the history of the mandate, based throughout on sound scholarship and a deep understanding of the issues involved... Sherman's study is most readable and, enhanced as it is by a number of evocative photographs, overall it forms a valuable addition to the social history of Britain's twentieth-century empire." -- Briton C. Busch, Albion

"An intimate look at what it was like to serve in the Mandate... [Has] great value for students of British imperialism. Through an examination of private letters and diaries, the author reveals men and women who were firm and sincere supporters of the mission of the empire, which they saw as bringing the blessings of British civilization to lesser developed people." -- Daniel C. Williamson, H-Diplo, N-Net Reviews

"An enjoyable and learned read... This work accomplishes its objective by providing a fresh view of the history of Palestine under the mandate in several ways... Perhaps what is most eye-catching are the descriptions by the British of Jews and Arabs, their professional relationships, personal friendships and acquaintances at all levels of society and, at the same time, their overt and covert prejudices... This book, without question, should be included in any library that collects in the areas of Middle East Studies, Modern Jewish History, or British History." -- Peter L. Kraus, MELA Notes

"A truly illuminating history of a fascinating thirty years." -- Zélide Cowan, Jewish Quarterly

"Sherman does a remarkable job of examining books, correspondences and manuscripts for passages that illuminate the attitudes of British government officials toward their duties in the Mandate... With an engaging writing style and a superb eye for the telling quotation, Sherman conveys the unraveling of the British Mandate with flair and understanding." -- Jon B. Alterman, Middle East Journal

"Sherman has given us a stylishly written and sympathetic account, enriched with quotations, that provides the best picture yet of British lives in Palestine, and an essential purchase for anyone interested in modern Middle East history." -- Ralph Amelan, Jerusalem Post Magazine

"A wonderfully evocative, informative and readable work of history." -- Jonathan Wilson, Forward

Review

"Mandate Days is a superb book that offers a balanced, fair-minded account of the British era in Palestine. More than any other work, it captures the spirit of the times and the personalities of the British against the background of the European crisis, the growing Arab protest, and the dilemmas facing the Jews." -- Wm. Roger Louis, President, American Historical Association

About the Author

A. J. Sherman, born in Jerusalem under the Mandate, lives in Vermont. He is an associate fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford, where he was for some years Research Fellow. Among his books is Island Refuge: Britain and Refugees from the Third Reich, 1933-1939.

Customer Reviews

It Ain't Half Dangerous Mum
On the anecdotal level, brings out the immense fortitude of most of the British, the venality of the minority, especially in the decline of the Mandate, and the truly wonderful eccentricity of a few.

The question that kept arising at the macro-level was, 'what would you do?' Turn away refugees from the 3rd reich? Or assist incomers for whom none of the British appeared to have a good opinion in the ethnic cleansing of undeveloped Arab population seen as lacking the intellectual or moral vigour to recognise their imminent demise?

A useful case-study in the administration of areas subject to ethnic conflict.

Photographs and memories
This book does not go deeply into the machinations behind the underlying problems, but rather illustrates it through the experiences of the people on the ground at the time. The most telling remark I felt was the quote that (to paraphrase) "we arrived pro-Jewish, became pro-Arab, and left pro-British". The overwhelming impression that came to me was that once the Mandate was being administered it became obvious that Hertzl's Zionist plan was to take the country from the Arabs by degrees and that the British could usefully be exploited to achieve that end. Many remarks to similar effect can be found throughout the various accounts and the overall feeling was that most British people in Palestine came to loathe the people on both sides of the conflict.

Even basic tenets of Balfour's declaration were conveniently overlooked by the British, and siezed upon by either Arab or Jew according to their side. The Jews seized upon the concept of a National Home, and all the Arabs had as solace was the concept that "it should not prejudice the existing inhabitants". The Mandatory administration facilitated only one of those ends, and the lackadaisical administration evidenced in these pages shows that the blame lies squarely with Britain.

I had the distinct impression that for many people at the time, Britain's presence was seen as an echo of Empire, combined with an impossible task. There is a grandiose attitude evident in the writings, and very little evidence of practical work done to resolve the situation - for Briish troops it was hazardous and unrewarding, for the administrational staff in Palestine it seemed more like an idle party on a sunny afternoon. I'd always had the impression that the British had served the Palestinian Arabs poorly, and when I read this book it became very clear that there was no real determination to give the Palestinian Arabs the tools to run their country (which was the entire purpose of the mandate), and no real effort to limit inward migration by Jewish settlers (2 Arabs were deported for every Jew that received that fate -source:UNISPAL) to the ten percent of population that had been promised to the Arabs. Having made promises to both sides that were impossible to reconcile, and having washed their hands of the situation and inadvertently armed the Jewish underground/terrorist groups (who'd volunteered to be the police force!) Britain walked away. This book shows in excellent detail the process of that abdication and the thought processes that drove it.

I think if the book left any lasting impression, it was that it was one of the few books that left me breathless with the injustice of it all.

First Hand Accounts
I loved the fact that this book was a collection of memoir entries of ordenry people stationed in Palestine and not a dry historical account. I always found it difficult to imagine British people being in Israel, then called Palestine and this helped me peice the it together. I was shocked to read that even after hearing about the Holaucaust directly from survivors, some people still didn't want Jews escaping to Israel to save their lives. I loved the extracts from diaries which brought the tense atmosphere to life and reading all the different outlooks. Nothing beats first hand accounts.