"The Great Arab Revolt of 1936 in the Holy Land lasted three years, cost thousands of lives-Jewish, British, and Arab-and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict ever since. It radicalized the Jewish and Arab communities and made the separation permanent. This book reveals world-changing events through extraordinary people on all sides"-- Provided by publisher.

"In 1936, the Holy Land erupted in a rebellion that targeted both the Jewish community and the British Mandate authorities facilitating the Zionist project. The Great Arab Revolt would last three years, cost thousands of lives, and cast the trajectory for the Middle East conflict ever since. Yet incredibly, no history of this seminal first "Intifada" has ever been published for a general audience. The 1936-1939 revolt was the crucible in which Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting rival families and classes in the struggle for independence. Yet it would ultimately turn on itself, shredding the social fabric, sidelining pragmatists, and pushing waves of refugees from their homes. British forces' aggressive operations handled the rest. The revolt to end Zionism had instead crushed the Arabs, leaving them crippled in facing the Jews' own drive for statehood a decade later. For the Jews, the insurgency would lead to very different consequences. It saw thousands of Jews trained and armed by Britain, turning their amateur guard units into the seed of a Jewish army. And it was then, amid carnage in Palestine and the Hitler menace in Europe, that portentous words like "partition" and "Jewish state" first appeared on the international agenda. Today, eight decades on, the revolt's legacy endures. Palestine 1936 is the story of two national movements and the first major clash between them. Based on extensive archival research and told in Oren Kessler's engaging voice, it reveals world-changing events through extraordinary individuals on all sides: their loves and hatreds, deepest fears, and profoundest hopes." -- Jacket flap.