Uncovered: U.K. intel encouraged Arab armies to invade Israel in 1948

[shira]

September 11, 1947. On the eve of the Arab League’s political committee meeting to decide on the Arab response to the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) report [supporting the end of the British mandate and partitioning the land between Jews and Arabs], the Lebanese newspaper L’Orient published an article. “Bloc Oriental et extension de la Ligue” argued that, like the Greater Syria plan [that aimed to unite Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine], the Oriental Bloc – a French term for Britain’s planned regional defense pact – hung over the independence of Arab countries and the Arab League like the Sword of Damocles, and that its authors were one and the same: [Iraqi Prime Minister] Nuri al-Sa’id and [Jordanian] King Abdullah.

On September 20, the Lebanese newspaper Le Jour reported that after the Arab League meeting in Saoufar, Lebanon, Brig. Iltyd Clayton – whom it defined as “head of the British intelligence in the Middle East” – had left for Damascus. It quoted a Syrian newspaper speculating on whether his visit was connected to the Greater Syria scheme and the tense relations between the Syrian and Lebanese presidents (Shukri al-Quwatli and Bishara al-Khuri) and Jordan’s King Abdullah, or to events in Palestine.

On February 19, 1948, the Lebanese newspaper Le Soir published an article titled “Claytonmade.” Based on “Zionist sources,” it reported that Brig. Clayton – “architect” of the Greater Syria plan, the Oriental Bloc and the bilateral defense treaties with the Arab states – was now advocating a new scheme for the partition of Palestine. The plan proposed that : “Imperialist Lebanon will annex the Western Galilee up to Shavei Zion; Syria the northeastern part of the Galilee and part of its southern region; Egypt will have part of the cake; and Transjordan will swallow up the rest.”

In fact, these and other reports in the Lebanese press on the activities of British secret agents were part of a secret war being waged by French intelligence against the British.

more...
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.615667

[King_David]

1. Fascinating

[BillZBubb]

2. What you have written gives absolutely no proof of the claim.

"Zionist sources" told a French aligned newspaper something to make the British look bad. That is hardly proof of anything except the Middle East was almost as messed up by outsiders then as it is now.

[King_David]

3. "French aligned newspaper something to make the British look bad"

Because that's what French aligned newspapers do.

[shira]

4. It's a long article. Read it. n/t

[BillZBubb]

5. No thanks.

Before I spend my time on something like that, I expect the one posting the link to give me a reason to look further. You didn't. It goes into the time waster bin.

[Scootaloo]

6. Wouldn't surprise me in the least

Given that the entire fucking Israel / Palestine problem is Britain's fault in the first fucking place. And their role in instigating the 1956 invasion of Egypt. And their violation of the UN arms embargoes during the Palestinian civil war (in which the British armed the Jews...)

What, a colonial power sowing insane amounts of chaos in a former holding? You don't say.

[Shaktimaan]

8. I asked once before.

When did the British arm the Jewish fighters after the embargo began? I had always heard they eventually bought arms from Czechoslovakia. Never Britain.

I have heard that Britain had armed Egypt and Jordan but I assume that was pre embargo.

[shaayecanaan]

7. Israel didn't exist in February, 1948

and no Arab state could be said to have invaded it. The most that could be said is that they invaded Palestine.

[sabbat hunter]

9. Not unsurprising considering

that UK army officers were in charge of the Arab troops in Jordan and Egypt.