The Zionist Masquerade The Birth of the Anglo-Zionist Alliance, 1914-1918 [Hardcover]

This book offers a new interpretation of a critical chapter in the history of the Zionist-Palestine conflict and the British Empire in the Middle East. It contends that the Balfour Declaration was one of many British propaganda policies during the World War I that were underpinned by misconceived notions of ethnicity, ethnic power and nationalism.Introduction Perceptions of Jewry and Ethnicity in the Official Mind Jews, Ethnicity and the Propaganda War in the USA Turning Perceptions into Policy: The Role of Jewish Activists, 1914-1917 The Making of the Balfour Declaration The Anglo-Zionist Propaganda Machine National Space and the Narrative of a New Epoch in Palestine Performing the Myth of Jewish National Rebirth Perception vs. Reality: American Jewish Identities and the Impact of the Balfour Declaration Conclusion: The Consequences for Palestine

Longlisted for the 2009 Longman/ History Today Book of The Year Prize

'This volume fits within the corpus of historiographical revisionism in Israeli-Palestinian studies, extending the long fingers of so-called new history back into the pre-mandate era...[It is] an elegant and convincing story of the birth of the Anglo-Zionist alliance, the iconic centre-piece of which has traditionally been regarded as the Balfour Declaration of November 1917...There is more to this book, however, than the re-evaluation of the Balfour Declaration. By concentrating closely on senior political figures, both British and Zionist, Renton brings the period to life...While the book undoubtedly adds to our understanding of the events preceding and immediately after the issuance of the Balfour Declaration...it has broader relevance for students of foreign policy in general, demonstrating the impact of cultural mindsets on policy-making. It is admirably researched and documented and adds new dimensions and chronological depth to the historiographical debates on Israel and Palestine thus far.' - Professor Emma Murphy, Asianlƒn