T. E. Lawrence and Zionism*

‘His relationship to the Zionist movement was a very positive one, in spite of the fact that he was strongly pro-Arab and he has been mistakenly been represented as anti-Zionist. It was his view . . . that the Jews would be of great help to the Arabs and that the Arab world stood to gain much from a Jewish homeland in Palestine.’1 In the light of the history of the period, this statement by Chaim Weizmann, the Zionist leader and first president of the state of Israel, about T. E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, is believed to be a fair description of Lawrence’s position in Arab-Zionist his? tory and the objective of this paper is to present the supporting evidence for that contention. Lawrence was so anxious to identify himself as a friend of the Arabian people during his so-called Arab period that he regularly wore traditional

Written by

Cecil Bloom

Published in

Volume 38

2002

Other articles within the volume

• More than just a few: Jewish pilots and aircrew in the Battle of Britain
• Children of Magnolia Street
• The work of the Pinsker: Orphans Relief Fund of London, 1921—39
• T. E. Lawrence and Zionism*
• Sussex Hall (1845-59) and the revival of learning among London Jewry*
• Patrons, clients, designers and developers: the Jewish contribution to secular building in England*
• Patrons, clients, designers and developers: the Jewish contribution to secular: building in England
• The first Jewish magistrates
• The reinterment of members of the Mendes da Costa family, 1713
• Diamonds and pieces of eight: how Stuart England won the rough-diamond trade
• The decline and fall of Anglo-Jewry?
• In Memoriam: Ruth P. Goldschmidt-Lehmann, 1930—2002
• Preface