| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The assault by Transjordan's Arab Legion on the Etzion Bloc (Gush Etzion), a cluster of Jewish villages north of the Biblical town of Hebron, from 4-14 May 1948, before the termination of the British Mandate, constituted an important milestone in the overall Arab strategy to prevent the emergence of the independent state of Israel in accordance with the UN Partition Resolution of 29 November 1947. The timing and manner of the attack were not coincidental but indicative of King Abdullah's political and military ambitions. They also tell of the reality of mandatory policy, as it was Britain that armed, trained, and led the Legion, and was obliged to protect the Jewish villages. In theory, the Etzion Bloc, like other Jewish neighbourhoods in the prospective Arab state, should have been able to live and prosper in peace. As it were, all were destroyed and their inhabitants expelled, in this case - after a large scale massacre of surrendered fighters.
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