Summary
A force composed of Transjordanians but under British command, units of which were stationed in Palestine in 1946 to help the authorities maintain order and suppress the Zionist insurgency (Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948, line 4063).
Details
- The Yishuv’s leadership protested the Legion’s presence and proclaimed a policy of nonfraternization with its officers and soldiers; some members of Hashomer Hatza’ir kibbutzim located near Arab Legion camps defied this policy and sought to befriend the Transjordanians, who (much to the displeasure of their British commanders) were said to have responded warmly to this hospitality (Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948, line 4063).
- Zyoma Ben-Artzi, a member of Kibbutz Mazra’, reported that when he developed friendly relations with the Arab Legionnaires stationed nearby, some of his fellow kibbutz members warned him against fraternizing with “these blacks” (hashehorim ha’ele), a derogatory term he was sure they would never have used to refer to Indians or Englishmen (Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948, line 4065).
Related pages
Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948, Hashomer Hatza’ir