Ibn Saud’s Increased Attention to Palestine Based on Newly Revealed US Documents

The role that Saudi Arabia played in the earliest days of the conflict between the Arabs and Zionists in Palestine and later after the establishment of the State of Israel is highly contested. This article seeks to contribute to the ongoing dialogue of the Saudi role by exploring the question from the standpoint of the United States. An examination of the American documentary evidence demonstrates that Ibn Saud and Saudi Arabia were viewed as significant advocates for the Palestinian cause by successive Presidential Administrations in the 1940s and 1950s. The Americans at this time did not view the Saudis as partners to the establishment of a potential Jewish state. Instead, they viewed the Saudis as staunch supporters of the Palestinian cause who could potentially prove to be obstacles to American policy in the region. This included the eventual US position to support the partition of Palestine and recognition of the State of Israel

Ancient history · Palestine · Political science · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Medicine