Jerald L Thompson

H. St. John Philby, IBN Saud and Palestine Jerald L Thompson

This work examines the policy of King Ibn Saud toward the establishment of a Jewish entity in Palestine - the "Palestine problem." H. St. John Philby was a British author, explorer and convert to Islam who was very close to Ibn Saud. Studying Philby's attempts to get the King to negotiate with the Zionists provides a clear understanding of the original Saudi involvement in the Palestine problem.

The approach taken was to first establish the historical context of Ibn Saud (1880-1985) and Philby (1885-1960) and the focus on their involvement with the Palestine problem between 1936-1945. The study starts with the Arab revolt of 1936. It then traces the development of Philby's solution to the problem, its acceptance and advocacy by the Zionists to the British and American governments, and ends with Ibn Saud's meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.

Philby's plan to solve the Palestine problem did not reach fruition because the differences between the Arabs and the Jews were irreconcilable, and neither the British nor the Americans really understood the Arab viewpoint. King Ibn Saud was consistently opposed to the establishment of any Jewish State and until 1945 he believed that the Great Powers would not violate the Arab trust.