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Israeli–Jordanian Dialogue, 1948–1953
Cooperation, Conspiracy, or Collusion?
| Yoav Gelber |
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| Yoav Gelber is Professor of History at the University of Haifa and Head of the Herzl Institute for Research and Study of Zionism. He is the author of a number of books on Middle East affairs, including: Palestine
1948: War, Escape and the Emergence of the Palestinian
Refugee Problem (Sussex Academic, 2001); and Jewish–Transjordanian Relations, 1921–1948 (Frank Cass, 1997).
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This book is a refutation of Professor
Avi Shlaim’s theory of an alleged collusion between the Jews
and king Abdullah (Collusion across the Jordan, Oxford
University Press 1988, and The Politics of Partition: King Abdullah,
the Zionists and Palestine, 1921–1951, OUP 1990). Shlaim
asserts that to further his own aims of creating a greater Jordanian
empire, Abdullah conducted secret diplomacy with David Ben-Gurion,
Golda Meir and other Israeli leaders in self-serving maneuvers which
hastened the partition of Palestine, and left more than a million
Palestinian Arabs without a homeland.
… Israeli–Jordanian Dialogue, 1948–1953
describes the development and vicissitudes of the relations between
Israel and Jordan from the end of the British mandate and Transjordan’s
invasion of Palestine, through the war in 1948, the resumption of
a direct dialogue that led to an armistice agreement, the abortive
peace negotiations in 1949–51 and the simultaneous escalation
of border hostilities. Gelber analyzes the triangle of relationships
that developed between Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians; and
explains the involvement of Britain, the United States and the inter-Arab
system in the shaping of these relations and their subsequent deterioration.
Based on Israeli, Arab, British and American archival documents,
the book follows the intricate balance between Israeli–Jordanian
diplomatic activity, and the realities of Israeli–Palestinian
relations along the new armistice lines – innocent and hostile
infiltration, retaliations and reprisals, to their culmination in
the tragedy of Qibia in the fall of 1953 and the return of Jordan
to the anti-Israeli Arab coalition.
… The conclusion drawn is that this
five-year period saw the apparent indifference of the Great Powers
to impose a settlement, a Jordan unsure of its place in the Arab
fold, and a confusing situation between Israelis, Palestinians and
Jordanians over border issues. Gelber finds no evidence of an alleged
collusion between the Jews and king Abdullah – just a tragic
unfolding of events that inflamed the still unresolved Arab–Israeli
conflict.
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| Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1 The Israel–Transjordan War: May–July 1948
2 Transjordanians and Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank
3 Seeking an Outlet from the War
4 Shune Talks and the Armistice Agreement
5 From Transjordan to Jordan
6 The Transjordanian and Palestinian Options
7 Peace Talks Lead to a Non-Aggression Pact
8 Domestic Crisis in Transjordan over Relations with Israel
9 Israel–Jordan Border Problems
10 Looking for Palliatives
11 Abdullah’s Assassination and its Repercussions
12 Israeli Dialogue with Jordan under Talal
13 Infiltration, Retaliation and Escalation
14 Jordan Rejoins the Arab Coalition
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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“Relying on documents
from Israeli and British archives (the latter of which include
records of broadcast statements from Arab leaders), Gelber
details the Zionist–Jordanian dialogue from the waning
days of the British mandate through the 1948 war, to the Israeli
raid on Qibya in 1953, which marked the end of the Israeli–Jordanian
bond and Jordan’s reunion with the Arab coalition …
Gelber highlights King Abdullah’s struggle in balancing
his necessary relations with Israel with those he had with
the broader Arab world, hostile to the Jewish state’s
independence, while at the same time posturing himself as
a representative of the Palestinians following the Egyptian
subordination of Gaza.
… Israeli–Jordanian Dialogue, 1948–1953
sheds light not only on an important historical episode, but
it has historiographic significance as well … Careful
historical research such as Gelber’s grounds the debate
about the early years of the Palestinian refugee crisis.”
Middle East Quarterly
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Publication Details
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Hardback ISBN: |
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978-1-84519-044-6 |
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Page Extent / Format: |
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376 pp. / 229 x 152 mm |
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Release Date: |
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May 2004 |
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Illustrated: |
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No |
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Hardback Price: |
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£60.00 / $75.00 |
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| This book can be ordered online or by telephone. |
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For the UK and Rest of the World:
Gazelle Book Services
tel. 44 (0)1524-68765 |
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For the United States:
International Specialized Book Services
tel. (1) 503 287-3093 or (800) 944-6190 |
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For Canada:
University of Toronto Distribution
tel. (1) 800-565-9523 |
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