Anglo-american Diplomacy and the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1948-51

Between 1948 and 1951 there was a concerted effort by Britain and the United States to find a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. It was mutual self-interest which drove the two powers to facilitate relief efforts as well as a diplomatic solution to the refugee crisis that had emerged as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war over Palestine. Based on a range of archival sources, this volume analyses the diplomatic efforts of the two powers to solve the refugee problem while it was still in its infancy. It examines British and US attitudes towards the means and mechanisms for the facilitation of an Arab-Israeli reconciliation, focusing specifically on the refugee factor in diplomatic initiatives. It explains why Britain and the US were unable to reconcile the local parties to an agreement on the future of the Palestinian refugees, and in their failure, squandered a unique and real opportunity to find a solution to a problem that has marred Arab-Israeli negotiations to this very day.

Dr Simon A. Waldman is Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies at King's College London, UK. He teaches the Arab-Israeli Conflict, statebuilding in the Middle East and Turkish history and politics.