Itamar Radai Livres

Palestinians in Jerusalem and Jaffa, 1948 examines Palestinian Arab society, institutions, and fighters in Jerusalem and Jaffa during the conflict. It is one of the first books in English that deals with the Palestinian Arabs at this crucial and tragic moment in their history, with extensive use of Arabic sources and an inquiry from the Palestinian vantage point. It examines the causes of the social collapse of the Palestinian Arab communities in Jerusalem and Jaffa during the 1948 inter-communal war, and the impact of this collapse on the military defeat. This book reveals that the most important internal factors to the Palestinian defeat were the social changes that took place in Arab society during the British Mandate, namely internal migration from rural areas to the cities, the shift from agriculture to wage labour, and the rise of the urban middle class. By looking beyond the well-established external factors, this study uncovers how modernity led to a breakdown within Palestinian Arab society, widening social fissures without producing effective institutions, and thus alienating social classes both from each other and from the leadership.

Focusing on the social dynamics and institutional changes within Palestinian Arab society during the 1948 conflict, this book provides a unique perspective from the Palestinian viewpoint. It analyzes the internal factors contributing to the collapse of communities in Jerusalem and Jaffa, such as migration patterns, economic shifts, and the emergence of a middle class. By emphasizing these social transformations, the study reveals how modernity exacerbated divisions and weakened leadership, ultimately impacting the military outcomes of the conflict.