ABSTRACT
The total defeat of the Palestinians in their war with the Jews was by no means an obvious outcome, as in many regards the Palestinians seemed to be in a better position. They outnumbered the Jews-there were some 1,200,000 Palestinians in the country, compared with 600,000 Jews.1 The distribution of the Palestinian community in the country was wider than that of the Jews, and hundreds of Arab villages were spread all over the country, notably along many of its most strategic roads. They had a cadre of veteran guerrilla fighters and a few military leaders who had acquired experience during the 1936-39 Arab revolt; and they were surrounded by their Arab brethren-the Arab countries around Palestine, who pledged to come to the Palestinians’ assistance.2 However, all of this proved to be insufficient. The Jews were superior in the structure and organization of their society and economy, also in their political, diplomacy and military capabilities. There were very few economic links between the two communities. Jews were not employed in Arab undertakings, and vice versa. The exceptions to this rule were that Arabs worked as seasonal laborers in Jewish citrus groves; and members of the two communities worked together in the government service, the Potash Company and the Oil Refinery.3 Agriculture played an important part in the economic life of both communities, but the differences in this area demonstrated yet again the differences between the two economies and their respective structures. Jewish agriculture was largely intensive and about 75 per cent of the produce was sold to the market. Only 20-25 per cent of Arab agricultural produce was marketed; the bulk was for personal consumption. This was a result of the different kinds of agriculture which each community practised. While the Arab methods were traditional, the Jewish were ‘progressive, scientific and experimental’.4 Jewish industry was also much more developed than Palestinian industry. The UNSCOP report summarized
its discussion on industry in Palestine in these words: ‘By and large, Arab industry in Palestine is much less developed and less capitalized than Jewish industry.’5
