A REVIEW AND COMMENTARY ON “ANONYMUS SOLDIERS –The Struggle for Israel, 1917 – 1947”. Bruce Hoffman; Alfred A. Knopf 2015. Mr. Hoffman; director of the Centre for Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, has written a detailed, thoroughly researched book on the Jewish insurrection and terrorism activity against the British during their Palestinian Mandate. The book is focusing on the crucial period of 1917-1947, leading to the British giving up the Mandate and handing it over to the United Nations; thus preparing Palestine for a Jewish State; but not for an Arab/Israeli peace. The Arabs never accepted partition as a solution then; and still don’t. They wanted “all or nothing”; nothing is what they eventually got. Mr. Hoffman covers much of the same territory as did Benny Morris in his 1999 tome “Righteous Victims” (Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881 – 2001); but only the last ten years of the British Mandate; and in more detail. While he also covers the Arab Rebellion (1936-39); his main focus is the British-Jewish conflict. Mr. Hoffman has written an unbiased and fair history of the British-Zionist conflict during that period of the Mandate; culminating in the British giving it up to the U.N. His details the horrendous attacks and murders committed by the various Jewish organizations; mostly the Stern Gang (Abraham Stern, founder of Irgun killed in 1942); the Irgun and Lehi; and the passive support and even collusion of the Jewish Agency and general Jewish population. While the King David Hotel bombing, causing the death of 91 innocent victims is perhaps the most remembered incident; many other assassinations and murders occurred; culminating in the murder of two British soldiers; Martin and Paice, in retaliation for the execution of three convicted assassins, Habib, Nakar and Weiss. The killing of Martin and Paice was particularly gruesome, with the two hanged from a tree, feet barely off the ground, and the bodies bobby-trapped and exploded when the Royal Engineers attempted to cut them down. The ironic thing here is that Meacham Begin, Irgun’s leader; had approved the kidnapping and killing of the two soldiers; and yet, rather than being convicted hand executed for his crimes, he went on to serve in the future Israeli Knesset in opposition, eventually become Israeli Prime Minister. Those killings caused an outcry in Britain; and the British Parliament realized that the time had come to abandon this impossible situation in which they found themselves. Even Churchill; a staunch defender of the Jews; found himself calling for an end to the Mandate. It is interesting to note that the development of organized terrorism and assassinations was a Zionist development; used effectively against the British and later against the Arabs. One could be tempted to suggest or intimate that the Palestinians learned their terrorism methods on the Zionists knees; and they were quick learners. Could it be that the current conflict there is a continuation of that earlier battle; and this is Israel’s Nemesis? Just askin’. I am not for a moment suggesting that the Jews did not have reason to fight; and the British made many mistakes; not adhering to the original Balfour Declaration (Arthur Balfour) of November 2, 1917; promising to facilitate “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people…” and bungling the management of the Palestinian conflict both with Arabs and Jews. Yet the British were in a “no win” situation; being unable to please neither Arabs nor Jews while trying to appear unbiased and fair. While the problem existed prior to WWll; it was as acerbated by the desperate situation of the thousands of displaced survivors of the Holocaust in Germany and other European countries hoping to immigrate to Israel. Britain’s allocation of 1500 people a month, were far from enough to fill the need; and the substantial illegal immigration caused another huge problem for the British and the Palestine Authority. The ideal solution –in my mind –would have been for the United Nations to have agreed to a partition of Palestine with forced relocation of Arabs AND Jews to separate areas; with sensible and rational borders; instead with the hodge-podge with which they ended up. Partition might have been stressful and problematic initially; but would have been anodyne in the long term. Peace between Palestinian Arabs and Jews was not what the Arab world wanted, however; and history shows that the adjoining Arab states were very reluctant to assist their brethren with resettlement or land; but were more than happy to stir the pot; using Palestine as a buffer zone; while continuing to poke the hornet nest; all but a few refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Bruce Hoffman’s book gives an unbiased overview of the recalcitrant and incorrigible nature of this conflict; which, still today, resists any attempt at a fair solution for either side.