Mahmoud Muhareb's new book, beautifully translated by Raphael Cohen, is ground breaking work of brave revisionist interpretation. He has brought to life the compromises and contradictions of the mandate years in Palestine and Syria in a way no other historian has ever done. An important book.

Michael Provence, UC San Diego, USA

Using the full panoply of English, Hebrew, and Arabic primary sources, the author places the strategy and tactics of the Zionist movement in the 1930s under an uncompromising lens. The early Zionists claimed that their aim was to live in peace with the Arabs in Palestine and to develop the country for the benefit of both peoples. Mahmoud Muhareb drives a coach and horses through this narrative. This is an original and important book and a major contribution to critical scholarship on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Avi Shlaim, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford, UK

Mahmoud Muhareb's excellent book is a meticulous exposure of the world of crypto diplomacy in which the Zionist movement was involved in it the early years of its colonisation of Palestine. Based on a thorough research in the archives, this book offers glimpse into Zionist involvement in Syrian politics in the 1930s and provides us with an excellent analysis of the origins of an Israeli regional policy that led to the current efforts of normalisation with the Arab world, at the expense of the Palestinians. This is a must read for those who want to fully understand how Israel operates within the Arab world and the significance of this involvement to the history of Palestine and the region as a whole.

Ilan Pappe, University of Exeter, UK