British Palestine Mandate boss said Jews were ‘like Nazis’

65 years down the road and little has changed

Newly published records reveal British High Commissioner of Palestine viewed Jewish fighters in 1940s as analogous to Nazis.

Hagana fighters the day after Israel declared a state, May 14, 1948 Photo: REUTERS

The British High Commissioner of Palestine viewed Jewish fighters there in the 1940s as analogous to Nazis, newly published records show.

On April 30, 1948, Alan Cunningham wrote to his superiors that as the Jews celebrated military successes, their “broadcasts, both in content and in manner of delivery, are remarkably like those of Nazi Germany." In another report, he said that the Jews were prepared for statehood and an “all-out offensive” with “all the equipment of a totalitarian regime."

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The reports were made public this week as part of a release of colonial administration records by the National Archives in London, The Jewish Chronicle of London reported Friday.

A week before the British departure from Mandate Palestine, the High Commissioner mistakenly believed that “all the ingredients of a successful truce were present,” the documents also showed.
Alan wrote on April 30 that the Arabs’ “much vaunted liberation army” was “poorly equipped and badly led." He wrote, “In almost every engagement the Jews have proved their superiority in organization, training and tactics.”

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