Policy of Deceit

Britain and Palestine, 1914-1939

The untold story of Britain’s role in the Israel–Palestine conflict

Shortlisted for the Palestine Book Awards 2025

‘The work of a lifetime, a forensic, fair-minded examination of the Hussein–McMahon correspondence that exposes how the British government broke its promises to the people of Palestine.’
The Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year

This is the untold story of Britain’s role in the Israel–Palestine conflict.

During the First World War, the British High Commissioner in Egypt reached a secret agreement with the Sharif of Mecca. If the Sharif allied with Britain against the Ottomans, after the war an independent Arab state that included Palestine would be established. The Sharif kept his word. The British did not. Instead, two years later Lloyd George’s government declared that Palestine would be for the global Jewish community.

Through meticulous analysis of official records and private papers, Peter Shambrook exposes how Britain came to betray the Arabs. He debunks the myth that Palestine was never part of the lands guaranteed to the Sharif and details the attempts of successive British governments to prevent the truth from ever becoming public.

For anyone interested in the history of the Israel–Palestine conflict, this is a must-read.