Palestine in the Second World War - Strategic Plans and Political Dilemmas - The Emergence of a New Middle East

Oct 22, 2026

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Palestine in the Second World War analyzes how British mandatory policy, wartime decisions, and shifting national aspirations produced strategic plans and political dilemmas throughout the conflict. It examines pre-war British strategic conditions, war events in Palestine and neighboring Middle Eastern countries, and the military–strategic repercussions for the local Palestinian population. Central focus rests on British interests toward Jews and Arabs, their conflicting goals and policies, and how these dynamics reshaped the emergence of the Jewish state and a new Middle East.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages222

Reading Time9 h 19 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword by Yoav Gelber

Introduction

PART I The Military Campaigns of 1939–1942

1 Strategic Background

2 The War Arrives in the Middle East and Palestine

3 Palestine at War – Military and Security Considerations

4 Palestine at War – Social and Economic Developments

5 The Palestine Volunteers to the British Army

6 The Jewish Army

7 British–Jewish Clandestine Cooperation (Part One)

8 Political Developments

9 Immigration to Palestine

“Daphna Sharfman skillfully navigates through this labyrinth of players, interests and goals. She interweaves major events with ordinary people's experiences – linking political processes and military moves with daily life and social phenomena – into a vivid, coherent and penetrating picture of life in Palestine during those crucial years.” From the Foreword by Yoav Gelber, author of Palestine 1948: War, Escape and the Emergence of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, Professor Emeritus, University of Haifa While the conflicts and national aspirations in British mandatory Palestine in particular and the Middle East in general were evident before the outbreak of the Second WorldWar, the war itself accelerated and enhanced national expectations and presented continuing tactical and strategic dilemmas to British, Arab and Jewish leaders. British strategic policy during the war failed to provide answers to the political issues of the growing national demands in Palestine, and led to severe distrust of British policy among Arabs and Jews, as the two communities were framing mostly opposing reactions to wartime developments, and to conflicting expectations and policies towards post-war solutions for Palestine. The aim of this work is to analyse the continual development of strategic plans and political dilemmas that arose during the war period, which led to the subsequent post-war circumstance where American and Soviet involvement impacted on the strategic thinking of all involved parties, notwithstanding the British military victory. Analysis includes: the pre-war British strategic situation in Palestine, and the war events in Palestine and its Middle East neighbour countries (at the military–strategic level and the repercussions ofthe outcome of the war for the local Palestinian population) . At the heart of the discussion lies British interests and policies framed towards Jews and Arabs; analysis of the two communities’ conflicting interests and policies; and the resultant sea-change in the establishment of the Jewish state which brought in its wake the emergence of a New Middle East. Cover illustration: Aussie Day – Australian soldiers march in Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv, 10 July 1940. Photo by Pinn Hans, The State of Israel National Photo Collection. Dr. Daphna Sharfman is a lecturer in the Political Science Department, Western Galilee College, Israel. She is the author of books and articles in the fields of human rights, Israeli government, human rights and foreign policy, and the British mandate in Palestine history. PALESTINE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR Strategic Plans and Political Dilemmas The Emergence of a New Middle East DAPH NA SHARF MAN Copyright © Daphna Sharfman, 2014. Published in the Sussex Academic e-Library, 2014. SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS PO Box 139 Eastbourne BN24 9BP, UK and simultaneously in the United States of America and Canada All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sharfman, Daphna. Palestine in the Second World War : strategic plans and political dilemmas, the emergence of a new Middle East / Daphna Sharfman. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-84519-526-7 (h/b : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-78284-076-3 (e-pub) ISBN 978-1-78284-077-0 (e-mobi) ISBN 978-1-78284-078-7 (e-pdf) 1. World War, 1939–1945—Palestine. 2. Palestine—History—1929–1948 . 3. Zionism—Palestine—History—20th century. 4. Arab nationalism—Palestine—History—20th century. 5. Palestine—Strategic aspects. I. Title. DS

FAQs

What is the main aim of the work?

To analyze the continued development of strategic plans and political dilemmas that arose during the war period, leading to the post-war circumstances shaped by American and Soviet involvement.

How does the book describe Britain’s wartime strategic policy?

It states that British strategic policy during the war failed to address political issues raised by growing national demands in Palestine, producing severe distrust among Arabs and Jews.

What central relationship does the analysis focus on?

British interests and policies toward Jews and Arabs, including the communities’ conflicting interests and policies, and the resulting political transformation toward the emergence of the Jewish state and a new Middle East.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword