Israel Matzav

Life Magazine photos of Israel 1948-67 Part 2

This is the second part of Ben Atlas' spread of Life Magazine photos of Israel from 1948-67. Like the first part, this one is also from the 1948 war.

I'm going to give you one photo with some of the fascinating detail, and then send you off to view the rest of this remarkable collection.

The caption for this one is "Arab soldiers with rifles being transported in military vehicles. March 1948." But there's more to it than that.

The photo of the arab troops packed into requisitioned civilian lorries with extempore wooden safety grills - in that they are not a standard British or US issue (and do not have French Citroen or Renault trademarks either?) - are carying rifles with muzzles projecting well over the forestock furniture. These are probably French Lebels and so a Syrian unit in spite of the British pattern '37 braces they are wearing. From 1940 to '46 French units in Syria and elsewhere would have used replacement clothing from British or US stocks. By 1948 Syria & Lebanon were independent at British (1945?) insistence which was the French gripe that led to French support of Haganah Aliyah Bet and the independence of Israel in 1948.

Secondly the status & responsibility of client state troops is politcally nice. The Arab Legion was British equipped, trained and had a lot of British field officers (majors & colonels) and its commander all, "on contract," or, "secondment." In 1920 - 46 it was the originally gendarmerie desert patrol force of the Emirate of Transjordan which the British had created within the Eastern part of the Palestine Mandate. In English English, "gendarmerie" is a nationally organised, armed but police force at the direction of civil power, local and central (state troopers in US?). Britain audited TJ's books ie approved the budget, and supplied quite a few senior civil officers all supervised by a Resident who reported to the High Commissioner in Jerusalem his immediate local senior, and directly to the Colonial Office, London. So in the 1941 Iraqi campaign and for internal security ie guard duties in Palestine 1945-47 inclusive, the Arab Legion was available (from '46, turning itself into an "army") to the British commander in Palestine or Iraq as another British unit - having formally asked for their service through usual channels from the Transjordanian government which was internally fairly independent - or had to be treated as such to keep up appearances and so political effectiveness. In 1946 the British signed a treaty with Transjordan to become the Kingdom of Jordan and so strictly an ally, rather than a dependent territory - but it depended on a pa sub of £4 ($11) million from London till the 50's when Hussein fired Glubb and the US after '56 gradually substituted for UK as it frequently has across the World since 1945, but in its own variations of retired officers on contract in Kossovo Iraq and other locations.

Nevertheless there are press photos of Legionaries on duty in Jerusalem's "Bevingrad" in '46-'47 as it was Bevin's initial policy that the Arab parts of Palestine would go in with Jordan - by one of his remarks. Eventually the Jordanian Government withdrew the Legion by early '48 from West of the Jordan entirely, till Abdullah invaded Palestine in May '48. By the memoirs and statements of the time any British seconded officers had returned to their own British units or were kept East of the Jordan, but there were still some contract officers in the force across the River.

Just in case this all sounds ad hoc if not outright louche, it is the stuff of British avoidance of systematic big thinking and as a defence measure in the 1941 "flap" when it looked as if Rommel might break through Egypt, the British incorporated the Palestine Police - a civilian formation albeit armed - into the British Army. As such it sent a detachment to march in the victory parade in London.

Go look at the whole thing. You won't be disappointed.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:30 PM