This comprehensive text introduced me to essential material on the development of Palestine from a minor territory of the Ottoman Empire, then mostly inhabited by Muslim Arabs, through to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. It helps to explain Britain’s strategic interest in acquiring the territory in the first place, which partly stemmed from the presence of Christian pilgrimage sites in Jerusalem, a city whose capture the Prime Minister David Lloyd George looked forward to as an early 'Christmas present' in 1917. This book reminds us that it is crucial to include the voices of the indigenous peoples, not just the colonists.

This well-written military history describes in fascinating detail how General Allenby skilfully prepared for and succeeded in conquering southern Palestine during 1917. I found this book useful on the context of the controversial Balfour declaration of 2nd November, which attempted to rally international Jewish opinion to the Allied cause by promising a 'Jewish national home' in Palestine. In contrast, there is also an account of the carefully stage-managed entry of General Allenby into Jerusalem on 11th November, which was deliberately understated so as not to alienate local Muslims (for example, flying Allied flags was banned).

This readable and well-researched text describes how Britain governed (or failed to govern) Palestine, from its conquest by Allenby in 1917 through to the end of the international mandate in 1948. It is invaluable for charting the contrary nature of British Imperial rule, for example it promoted or restricted Jewish migration into Palestine according to international circumstances and at times courted Arab opinion while also ruthlessly suppressing a Palestinian revolt in the late 1930s. This title also demonstrates that, despite the late-1940s, violent Zionist campaign that pushed for withdrawal of British forces, a Jewish state is unlikely to have been possible or viable without the period of British rule. Segev skilfully layers his account of the larger developments with detailed accounts of Arab, Jewish and British individuals to give a well-rounded, authentic insight into the topic.

This clip analyses the motives and wording of the British propaganda which led to the Balfour Declaration.

This clip shows testimonies from the years in which the fate of Palestine was being decided on by the UN members.