Diversity Plus Proximity in Palestine during the First World War
Vladimir Jabotinsky (1880-1940) It is a truism at Chateau Heartiste that “ Diversity + Proximity = War ”. I was reminded of this useful formula recently while reading Vladimir Jabotinsky’s book The Story of the Jewish Legion , relating the creation and wartime service of an (almost) all-Jewish fighting force that helped the British defeat the Turks toward the close of the First World War. The Legion was made up of Jewish volunteers from the United States, Britain, Canada, Palestine, and other countries; and in one of his chapters, “Why There Was Quiet in Palestine”, Jabotinsky contrasts the character traits of the major Jewish nationalities and their attitudes toward the Palestinian Arabs: The real potential source of trouble […] was […] the Palestine Volunteers, those who had themselves grown up in an Oriental environment. They did not dislike the Arab; on the contrary, they knew him, were friendly with him, and spoke his language as well as he did. And it was just this t...