The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler-Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017

In this chapter, Khalidi focuses on the period between 1917 and 1939. He argues that the Balfour Declaration, the Mandate of Palestine, and the British leaders’ bias in favor of Zionist settlers represent the first declaration of war on Palestinians.

Khalidi begins by describing the first decade of the 20th century in Palestine. He notes that, “socially, Palestine was still heavily rural with a predominantly patriarchal, hierarchical nature, as it largely remained until 1948” (18). While a small group of elite families controlled Palestinian society, changes were occurring. There was greater access to education, more mobility within and outside Palestine, and a burgeoning press which led to greater availability of printed materials (books, newspapers, and periodicals). These changes created opportunities for the indigenous population. With the weakening of the Ottoman empire, the indigenous population started to shift their identity from family, religious affiliation, and city origin to a collective identity.

Major battles took place in Palestine during World War I (1914-1918). The British and Allied Forces captured much of the territory. During the war, British statesman Arthur James Balfour (who was secretary of state for foreign affairs at the time) publicly pledged to create “a national home for Jewish people” in Palestine (24). His single-sentence statement became known as the Balfour Declaration. Palestinians remained unaware of this declaration until after the war. The declaration did not acknowledge the Arab majority (94% of the total population) living in Palestine. In fact, the words “Arab” and “Palestinian” are missing from the declaration. Instead, this group is referred to as the “existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine” (24). The declaration also did not promise the Palestinian people national or political rights.

After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war, the League of Nations, the first worldwide intergovernmental organization, adopted the Mandate for Palestine in 1922. This was supposed to help former Ottoman empire territories eventually gain independence. In contrast to other territories in the Middle East, international leaders did not apply this mandate to Palestinians. Instead, the Mandate for Palestine only extended the rights to create a national home to Jewish people. This mandate allowed for British administration of Palestine and other nearby Middle Eastern territories. The terms of this mandate also included the Balfour Declaration. With this mandate, the British encouraged European Jewish immigration to Palestine. The British helped to set up and support a Zionist governing body in Palestine, and it gave the newly formed Jewish government international diplomatic status, enabling the Zionist settlers to represent their interests before the League of Nations. The Jewish population in the territory increased from nine to over 25% of the total population between 1922 and 1935. The rise of Hitler in Germany spurred Jewish immigration to Palestine.

During this period, Khalidi notes that Palestinians faced two collective traumas. The disappearance of Ottoman rule represents the first. The Ottoman Empire controlled the territory encompassing Palestine for 400 years. British rule represents the second. Not only were Palestinians now under alien rule, but the British also promised their homeland “to others [European Jewish people] as a ‘national home’” (28). Khalidi notes that “Palestinians now saw themselves inexorably turning into strangers in their own land” (41). These traumas helped spur the emergence of a Palestinian national identity. Palestinians organized politically against British rule and its support for Zionist aspirations. The British brutally suppressed Palestinian opposition.

At the same time, Palestinian leadership could not develop a framework for their national movement. Khalidi attributes this failure to infighting among Palestinian leadership. Some Palestinian leaders wanted an independent nation-state, whereas others wanted to become part of another Arab country such as Jordan. The British exploited this infighting, weakening the Palestinian’s ability to combat the Zionist movement.

Using excerpts from his uncle Dr. Husayn’s memoir, Khalidi shows how his uncle “believed that the primary problem faced by the Palestinians during the Mandate was the British” (49). Dr. Husayn also recognized how effective Zionist lobbying was by this time. While several official British commissions tried to raise more awareness around a Palestinian nation-state, they were immediately countered by Zionist lobbying in London.

Fury broke out in the Arab world over British treatment of the Palestinians. To try and improve their standing with Arab countries (which they viewed as imperative for their imperial strategic interests), the British tried to curtail their support for the Zionist movement right before the start of World War II through the 1939 White Paper. A change in British government and World War II resulted in no changes to the situation in Palestine.