‘Thought-provoking and essential reading for our times... Charin charts the historic alliance of Palestinian Jews with the British against Nazism, only to find they are betrayed by the Britain after 1945. An excellent factual account on one of the most misunderstood conflicts in history.’
Dr Helen Fry, historian, author of The White Lady: The Story of Two Key British Secret Service Networks Behind German Lines
‘This is an elegant account of the genesis of the long forgotten military struggle of the Jews for an independent state in Mandatory Palestine during the early 1940s. Geoffrey Charin dissects the complexity of the times and the possibility of a Nazi invasion of Palestine - and what this could have meant for its Jewish population. Charin eloquently examines British national interests in a time of war and its political and security machinations in the Middle East.’
Colin Shindler
Emeritus Professor, SOAS, University of London
‘Superb’
‘Ally Abandoned is an extensively researched, wonderfully nuanced account of how, thanks to a combination of prejudice and myopia, the British missed early opportunities to enlist Jewish forces in Palestine to fight the Axis during World War II. This lack of trust sowed the seeds of post-war discord in Palestine that is still unresolved today. Superb.’
- Saul David, author of 'Tunisgrad: Victory in Africa'
‘This is a timely book when once again Israel and Palestine are headline news. Dr. Charin examines here an earlier crisis when Britain ruled Palestine during the Second World War. He charts the collapse of good relations between the British and the local Jewish community, which led to the final Jewish revolt and the foundation of Israel. This is a much needed study, told with careful attention to the evidence and solid judgement. We
now have a fuller picture of the failure of Britain's Middle East
imperialism and the birth of the new Jewish state.’
Professor Richard Overy, author of 'Blood and Ruins, 1931-1945'
‘In his seminal "Ally Abandoned," Geoffrey E. Charin sheds detailed light on a formerly overlooked but formative chapter in the history of the Second World War. Engagingly written, superbly researched, and balanced, Charin's book will be essential resource for historians, journalists, students, and all those interested in the background to Israel's birth.’
Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli ambassador to the United States, author of "Six Days of War,"