Palestine 1936

The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict

By: Oren Kessler

Narrated by: Shawn K. Jain

In spring 1936, the Holy Land erupted in a rebellion that targeted both the local Jewish community and the British Mandate authorities. The Great Arab Revolt would last three years, cost thousands of lives, and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict. The revolt was the crucible in which Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting all in a single struggle for independence. Yet the rebellion would ultimately turn on itself. British forces' aggressive counterinsurgency took care of the rest, finally quashing the uprising on the eve of World War II.

To the Jews, the insurgency would leave a very different legacy. It was then that Zionist leaders began to abandon illusions over Arab acquiescence, to face the prospect that fulfilling their dream of sovereignty might mean forever clinging to the sword. The revolt saw thousands of Jews trained and armed by Britain. This is the story of two national movements and the first sustained confrontation between them. The rebellion was Arab, but the Zionist counter-rebellion—the Jews' transformation—is a vital element in how Palestine became Israel. Today, the revolt's legacy endures.

Palestine 1936 is the origin story of the world's most intractable conflict, but it is also more than that. It reveals world-changing events through extraordinary individuals on all sides.

©2023 Oren Kessler (P)2024 Tantor

Great background to today’s Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Michael Oren’s 1936 takes us to the Arab Revolt of 1936 in British Mandate Palestine to lay the background of the origins of the founding of Israel. Through several personalities of the era, he tells the story of the Arab revolt and how the Palestinians lost the opportunity to get a state of their own alongside the Jewish state.
Interesting to get a detailed account of those days in Palestine before WWII and to meet several Palestinians and Arabs that are no longer well known today.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Astoundingly fascinating and well-written history of the past hundred or so years of the conflict. Highest recommendation. Unfortunately, many of the toxic attitudes that gave rise to the conflict are virtually unchanged today.

Multiple perspectives

I liked how the events were often told using Jewish, Arabs and British accounts in this book.

Fascinating and well researched

This book is incredible well-researched and thoughtful. One of the few authoritative sources on the first half of 20th century in Israel/Palestine. Explains much about the contours of the conflict today.

Fascinating pre-play of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

I did not know before listening that the two-state solution is an old idea from the mid 1930s. The reasons for vagaries of the policy of the British colonists Kessler makes clear. Although I am well versed in the conflict I did not know the extent to which the British kept switching sides. The section on the White Paper of 1939 is spellbinding. The analysis of the long term effect of the 1936-39 Arab uprising on their economy and culture is interesting.

there is contant striff

this describes the constant battles that have been going on in palestine since the 30's. there is constant killing by all involved and constant fighting. there does.ot seem to be a road to peace.

Good content, abysmal reader

There was a lot of good information in this book. It was well written and informative about a period and place about which I knew next to nothing. Unfortunately, the reader didn't seem to understand the words he was reading and read every sentence with the exact same cadence, making it both monotonous and hard to parse.

Connects past and present.

For greater depth into today's headlines. Recommend this audio book. If you will only read or listen to one publication of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, choose this one.

Important history-Horrible narration

The Great Revolt of 1936 is an important piece of history to understand contemporary Arab (Palestinian) vs Jewish (Israeli) history. The narration here is mechanical (probably AI) is horrible. I had to listen at 1.5 speed

Fascinating story

This book provides a fascinating history of the land that is now Israel & Palestine in the first half of the twentieth century.