Army of Shadows: Palestinian Collaboration with Zionism

Army of Shadows examines Palestinian collaboration with the Zionist movement during the British Mandate period of 1917-1948. Through extensive archival research and primary sources, historian Hillel Cohen documents the complex relationships between Jewish organizations and Palestinian Arabs who worked with them. The book covers various forms of cooperation, from land sales and intelligence sharing to political alliances and security arrangements. Cohen presents profiles of key figures and analyzes the social, economic and political factors that influenced their decisions to work with Zionist institutions. The narrative tracks how these collaborative relationships evolved through major historical events including the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939 and the lead-up to the 1948 war. The experiences and motivations of collaborators are placed within the broader context of Palestinian society and the British colonial administration. This work raises fundamental questions about nationalism, loyalty, and survival under conditions of conflict. Through its focus on this controversial aspect of Palestinian-Israeli history, the book adds nuance to common narratives about the origins of the ongoing struggle.

Readers appreciate Cohen's research depth and use of primary sources to document Palestinian collaboration with Zionist institutions from 1917-1948. Many note the book fills gaps in historical scholarship by examining perspectives often overlooked. Liked: - Detailed documentation from Arabic, Hebrew and English sources - Balanced treatment of complex motivations behind collaboration - Clear explanations of social and economic factors Disliked: - Dense academic writing style - Some sections become repetitive - Limited coverage of pre-1917 context - Translation issues in English version One reader called it "meticulously researched but challenging to get through." Another noted it "finally addresses this taboo topic with evidence rather than rhetoric." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (42 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (12 ratings) LibraryThing: 4.0/5 (6 ratings) Most academic reviews in journals like Middle East Quarterly and Israel Studies Review recommend it for scholars but not general readers.

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🔹 The book reveals that as many as 11,000 Palestinian Arabs served as informers for the Haganah (Jewish paramilitary organization) during the British Mandate period 🔹 Author Hillel Cohen is a professor at Hebrew University's Institute for Contemporary Jewry and specializes in Jewish-Arab relations, earning acclaim for accessing previously classified Israeli archives 🔹 The term "collaboration" in the book covers a wide spectrum of activities, from selling land to Jews to providing military intelligence, challenging the common narrative of uniform Palestinian resistance 🔹 Many Palestinian collaborators were motivated not by ideology but by local family feuds, economic interests, and power struggles within Arab society 🔹 The research reveals that several prominent Palestinian families who publicly opposed Zionism were simultaneously maintaining secret connections with Jewish leaders