ABSTRACT
The story of Mandate Palestine is plagued by ambiguities: double (triple, quadruple) deals, irreconcilable promises, an indeterminate moral compass, improvisational strategy, intense diplomacy but no real implementation plan, the chaotic introduction and suspension of laws, regulations and customs, the classification of native culture. There is a major body of literature on Mandate Palestine in the tradition of linear historical narrative. Histories of Mandate Palestine written by historians, even if they are well-meaning ones, even if they seem impartial, focus on big events and rely on certain preconceived notions. British control of natives alternated between direct and indirect rule. There is a rich body of critical literature which chronicles the historiography, ethnography and sociology of colonialism, which has not been written by historians and which challenges and undermines the reliance on colonial and neo-colonial discourse across disciplines.
