ABSTRACT
The 1948 war was a war over Palestine, to which two communities-the Jewish and the Arab-aspired, however, the Jewish-Palestinian conflict lost any bilateral nature it might have had during the 1936-39 Palestinian uprising against the British. The uprising came to an end through the active interference of the Arab states, and after the destruction of the Palestinian national leadership during these years the Arab States imposed their patronage over the Palestinians. Thus, it was under the Arab League’s auspices that some form of Palestinian national leadership was formed, with the restructuring in 1945 of the Arab High Committee (AHC), whose members were Jama-l al-Husayni (acting chairman-officially Hajj Amin al-Husayni remained the head of the AHC), Husayn Khalidi (secretary), Ahmad Hilmi and Emile Khouri.1
The intervention of Arab governments in the Palestine problem was the result of inflamed public opinion, which forced the Arab governments to take action; this served as a socially unifying force and even a distraction from their own problems. However, the Arab governments were not prepared to abandon their freedom of action, and acted in what they considered to be their own best interests, even where these did not accord with those of the Palestinians. Consequently-while publicly and in their joint meetings they expressed positions which were close to those of the Palestinians-the divisions amongst themselves and between them and the Palestinians were explored as the political process progressed in Palestine and as the end of the British Mandate drew closer. The Arab position on the Palestine problem had been shaped through events such as the Anglo-American Committee; the London Conference; the visit and recommendations of the United Nations Special Commission on Palestine (UNSCOP) to Palestine; and, finally, the United Nations Partition Resolution; all of which entailed Arab response and increased Arab involvement in the Palestine problem. The decision to go to war for the Palestinian cause had only been accepted at a late stage in this process. Some might even say that the Arab Armies never did go to war for the Palestinian cause.
