Palestine: Problem and Promise - The Most Comprehensive Economic Study on the Future of Palestine During the ...

Palestine: Problem and Promise - The Most Comprehensive Economic Study on the Future of Palestine During the British Mandate. Washington, 1946 – First Edition

Palestine: Problem and Promise – An Economic Study – The most comprehensive economic study on the future of Palestine during the British Mandate, conducted shortly before its end. By Robert R. Nathan, Oscar Gass, Daniel Creamer. Published by Public Affairs Press, Washington, 1946 – First Edition. A rare copy with the original dust jacket, featuring photographs of pioneers working in the Land of Israel. English. Copy dedicated as a Bar Mitzvah gift.

A comprehensive in-depth study of life in Palestine, conducted over two years (from December 1943 to March 1945) by economists Robert R. Nathan, Oscar Gass, and Daniel Creamer. The authors thoroughly examine the challenges facing the population of Palestine, focusing on internal Jewish relations, the impact of the Zionist movement on the country’s development, Jewish-Arab relations, and the potential for Jewish immigration to Palestine. The study analyzes the economic implications of these factors, covering agriculture, industry, trade, infrastructure, natural resources, and economic development potential, including a detailed examination of water resources, labor force, and opportunities for expanding production and exports. The study also delves into inter-communal relations, both within the Jewish population and between Jews and Arabs. A comprehensive demographic analysis led the researchers to a significant conclusion: "Zionist reconstruction has provided the Arabs of Palestine with a higher standard of living than in other parts of the Arab Middle East. Jewish demand has created an important market for Arab agriculture, and Jewish enterprises have provided some employment for Arab labor...". The report further states that Jewish-Arab cooperation in the near future was unlikely and that such collaboration could only be facilitated with the assistance of the United Nations. The researchers were able to outline the development of Jewish industry in Palestine across various sectors, concluding that the country’s economic progress depended directly on the rate of Jewish immigration in the coming years—a prediction that later proved entirely accurate. The study provides a deep analysis of all of Palestine’s economic resources.

This copy was dedicated as a Bar Mitzvah gift to Bernard in 1952, from Mr. & Mrs. M. Escher and Sons. The dedication appears on the front endpaper:

"To Master Bernard J. Lebrecht, on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah, with sincerest good wishes from Mr. & Mrs. M. Escher and Sons, 20th Adar 5713."

X, 675 pages. Hardcover with original dust jacket. Minor tears on the dust jacket, with a small missing section on the lower back cover. The book itself is in very good condition.