Statecraft by Stealth

Britain relied upon secret intelligence operations to rule Mandatory Palestine. Statecraft by Stealth sheds light on a time in history when the murky triad of intelligence, policy, and security supported colonial governance. It emphasizes the role of the Anglo-Zionist partnership, which began during World War I and ended in 1939, when Britain imposed severe limits on Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine.

Steven Wagner argues that although the British devoted considerable attention to intelligence gathering and analysis, they never managed to solve the basic contradiction of their rule: a dual commitment to democratic self-government and to the Jewish national home through immigration and settlement. As he deftly shows, Britain's experiment in Palestine shed all pretense of civic order during the Palestinian revolt of 1936–41, when the police authority collapsed and was replaced by a security state, created by army staff intelligence. That shift, Wagner concludes, was rooted in Britain's desire to foster closer ties with Saudi Arabia just before the start of World War II, and thus ended its support of Zionist policy.

Statecraft by Stealth takes us behind the scenes of British rule, illuminating the success of the Zionist movement and the failure of the Palestinians to achieve independence. Wagner focuses on four key issues to stake his claim: an examination of the "intelligence state" (per Martin Thomas's classic, Empires of Intelligence), the Arab revolt, the role of the Mufti of Jerusalem, and the origins and consequences of Britain's decision to end its support of Zionism.

Wagner crafts a superb story of espionage and clandestine policy-making, showing how the British pitted individual communities against each other at particular times, and why.

Steven Wagner is a Lecturer in International Security in the Social and Political Sciences Department at Brunel University. Follow him on X @StevenWagner85.

An excellent, accessible, but sophisticated work.

Wagner's deep dive into the archival record surrounding British-Zionist intelligence networks is valuable, both for scholars of Palestine and for historians of the British imperial project in the interwar moment.

British rule over Palestine lasted... just over 30 years. It was – and remains – one of the most intensely studied (and obviously controversial) subjects of the 20th century due to the enduring and divisive conflict it engendered. The missing (or hidden) dimension of understanding it is the role of intelligence, argues Steven B. Wagner, in the first study of its kind.

A meticulously researched, deftly written, impressively organized and presented work of simply outstanding scholarship.

Laila Parsons, author of The Commander:

Based on fascinating new archival research, Wagner's important book reveals the breadth and depth of cooperation between the Zionist and British intelligence communities during the interwar period.

Michael S. Goodman, King's College London:

A readable, gripping narrative resting on an equally impressive source base. Steven B. Wagner has done remarkable detective work in multilingual archives—including both Hebrew and Arabic—to show how British intelligence was fundamental to power and policy in Mandatory Palestine.

Michael Provence, author of The Last Ottoman Generation and the Making of the Modern Middle East:

Statecraft by Stealth is the most revealing excavation ever of British colonial intelligence and secret policing in Mandatory Palestine.