Collusion Across the Jordan

This book tells the story of the unusual and highly secret relationship between Abdullah, the Hashemite ruler of Jordan, and the Zionist movement. Spanning three eventful decades, from the appointment of Abdullah as Emir in 1921 to his assassination in 1951, it focuses on the clandestine diplomacy and the political and military processes which determined the fate of Palestine between 1947 and 1950, and which left the Palestinian Arabs without a homeland. King Abdullah has been widely suspected and often accused by his fellow Arabs of collaboration with the Zionist enemy. Avi Shlaim, using British, American, Arabic and Israeli sources and recently declassified official documents, proves conclusively that Abdullah not only colluded with the Zionists to gain control over as much of Arab Palestine as possible, but that he also received occasional payments for his collaboration. The author states that secret meetings between Abdullah and Golda Meir and between Ernest Bevin and Tawfiq Abul Huda, the Jordanian Prime Minister, highlight the profound contrast between previous assumptions about this period and the clearer picture afforded by the new material uncovered by Dr Shlaim.