Unexpected State (eBook)

Considering detailed analysis of four major policy-making episodes between 1920 and 1948, Unexpected State interrogates key Israeli and Palestinian narratives and provides fresh insight into the motives and decisions behind policies that would have global implications for decades to come.

1. This book challenges current understanding on the history of British Mandate Palestine.

2. Unexpected State argues that key conditions that were necessary for the creation of Israel only occurred by accident, as British politicians muddled through their careers in public office and foreign policy.

3. The book's importance lies in its meticulous consideration of archival sources which provide a more complicated and nuanced understanding of the formation of British Palestine.

4. This complexity of understanding will have appeal for scholars working on a wide range of topics within the field of Middle East history and modern British history.

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This provocative historical reassessment sheds new light on the decisions of British politicians that led to the creation of Israel.Separating myth and propaganda from historical fact, Carly Beckerman explores how elite political battles in London inadvertently laid the foundations for the establishment of the State of Israel. Drawing on foreign policy analysis and previously unexamined archival sources, Unexpected State examines the strategic interests, international diplomacy, and political maneuvering in Westminster that determined the future of Palestine. Contrary to established literature, Beckerman shows how British policy toward the territory was dominated by domestic and international political battles that had little to do with Zionist or Palestinian interests. Instead, the policy process was aimed at resolving issues such as coalition feuds, party leadership battles, spending cuts, and riots in India. Considering detailed analysis of four major policy-making episodes between 1920 and 1948, Unexpected State interrogates key Israeli and Palestinian narratives and provides fresh insight into the motives and decisions behind policies that would have global implications for decades to come.