パレスチナ独立戦争
Special Service Officers (SSOs) assigned to intelligence gathering reported directly to their local command headquarters and their cars were equipped with wireless transmitters so that high grade intelligence could be reported directly to "I" Branch immediately. These sources of intelligence gradually became more important than those of the C.I.D. in Palestine, which had been dependent on Arab informers, and which were no longer reliable.In September 1937, the Jewish Agency appointed Reuven Zaslany liaison officer for intelligence and security affairs between the Political Department of the Jewish Agency and the intelligence arms of the Royal Air Force and the C.
The Arab Division set up a network of Jewish controllers and Arab agents around the country. Some of the intelligence gathered was shared with the British administration, the exchange of information sometimes being conducted by Moshe Shertok, then head of the Jewish Agency, directly with the high commissioner himself. Shertok also advised the administration on political affairs, on one occasion convincing the high commissioner not to arrest Professor Joseph Klausner, a Revisionist Maximalist activist who had played a key role in the riots of 1929, because of the likely negative consequences.
2つ目且つより過激な提案はユダヤ州に住む22.5万人のアラブ人をアラブ州やトランスヨルダンに強制移住させる事だった。シオン主義指導者がピールに移住の概念を受け入れるよう説得したと見られており、これはシオン主義者の観念形態の一要素だった。アラブ高等委員会は直ちに提案を拒否し、修正シオン主義者も同様に拒否した。
初めはミズラチ(宗教的シオン主義組織)と一般的シオン主義運動の一部、労働シオン主義運動は提案に反対した。ピール委員会の援助を受けて強制移住を行ったベン=グリオンは、この強制移住を「ユダヤ人の自由な故郷の地固め」の基礎と考えた。続いて主要なユダヤ人指導者であるハイム・ヴァイツマン(1874年~1952年)とベン=グリオンは、世界シオン主義会議に曖昧な状態で「ピールの提案が今後の交渉の基礎であり、イギリスとピールの提案の修正交渉を行う」事に同意させた。
最初はイギリス政府はピールの提案を原則受け入れた。しかし戦争の気配がヨーロッパに近付く中で、イギリス政府はこの提案が多数派であるパレスチナ・アラブ人を抑圧し、その結果アラブ世界全体を敵に回す行為だと気付いた。ウッドヘッド委員会として知られる技術委員会は1938年に「自立的アラブ州は境界をどう設定しても実現出来ない」と報告した。ウッドヘッド委員会は「充分に入植の基礎を作り確実に土地収用する為の修正分割案」を報告した。これはイギリスが「アラブ州が予算を安定させる為の充分な援助」を提供する事が前提になっている。
ウッドヘッドが総合報告書を発行してすぐに、イギリス政府はパレスチナでの如何なる分割も非現実的だとして却下した。
In June 1937, the British imposed the death penalty for unauthorised possession of weapons, ammunition, and explosives, but since many Jews had permission to carry weapons and store ammunition for defence this order was directed primarily against Palestinian Arabs and most of the 112 executed in Acre Prison were hanged for illegal possession of arms.In principle all of the joint units functioned as part of the British administration, but in practice they were under the command of the Jewish Agency and "intended to form the backbone of a Jewish military force set up under British sponsorship in preparation for the inevitable clash with the Arabs." The Agency and the Mandate authorities shared the costs of the new units equally.
At the beginning of the Revolt crew from the Haifa Naval Force's two cruisers were used to carry out tasks ashore, manning two howitzers and naval lorries equipped with QF 2 pounder naval guns and searchlights used to disperse Arab snipers. From the end of June two destroyers were used to patrol the coast of Palestine in a bid to prevent gun running. These searched as many as 150 vessels per week and were an effective preventive measure. At the request of the Army additional naval platoons landed in July to help protect Haifa and Jewish settlements in the surrounding countryside.
The Navy also relieved the Army of duties in Haifa by using nine naval platoons to form the Haifa Town Force and in August three naval platoons were landed to support the police.Following publication of the Peel Commission's report in July 1937 HMS Repulse sailed to Haifa where landing parties were put ashore to maintain calm. Various other naval vessels continued with this role until the end of the revolt.Following the Irgun's detonation of a large bomb in a market in Haifa on 6 July 1938 the High Commissioner signalled the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, requesting the assistance of naval vessels capable of providing landing parties.
The White Paper of 1939 was regarded by many as incompatible with the commitment to a Jewish National Home in Palestine, as proclaimed in the 1917 Balfour Declaration. Al-Husseini rejected the new policy, although it seems that the ordinary Palestinian Arab accepted the White Paper of 1939. His biographer, Philip Mattar wrote that in that case, the Mufti preferred his personal interests and the ideology rather than the practical considerations.
For example, whereas the Jewish city of Tel Aviv relied on the nearby Arab seaport of Jaffa, hostilities dictated the construction of a separate Jewish-run seaport for Tel Aviv, inspiring the delighted Ben-Gurion to note in his diary "we ought to reward the Arabs for giving us the impetus for this great creation." Metal works were established to produce armoured sheeting for vehicles and a rudimentary arms industry was founded. The settlement's transportation capabilities were enhanced and Jewish unemployment was relieved owing to the employment of police officers, and replacement of striking Arab labourers, employees, craftsman and farmers by Jewish workers.
Issa Battat was a peasant leader in the southern hills below Jerusalem who caused enormous damage to security patrols in his area. He was killed by a patrol of armed police in a battle near Hebron in 1937.
同盟罷業への対抗策は最初から厳しく、後には警告無しの家探しや夜襲、予防的拘留、鞭打ち、国外追放、資産没収、拷問のように更に残虐なものになった。1936年5月初頭、イギリスは武装車両で装備したユダヤ人予備警察を設立した。イギリス政府は同盟罷業はパレスチナ人の完全補助を受けていると確信し、「アラブの民の意思と魂は弱まらない」事を知った。1933年~36年にパレスチナ・トランスヨルダンのイギリス空軍で少将を務めたリチャード・ペイーセ(1892年~1970年)は武装反乱は村人に補助されていると報告した。
「反乱軍から主導権を奪い返すには反乱や破壊活動を起こす村人に対抗策を打つのが有効とすぐに明らかになった。それ故警察監察官のR.G.B.スパイサーに村を調査させる共同作戦を主導した。表面上武器や指名手配犯を見付ける為に行う調査方式はトルコ方式に似ており、厳しく効果的だった。」
現実にはこの方法が村人と独立勢力の間の結束を創り出した。政府派のナブルス市長は「前回の調査で村で行われた行為は破壊や宝石の窃盗、聖なるコーランの破壊であり、これは農民を激昂させるだけだった」と高等委員会に抗議した。