Liminal Loyalties: Ottomanism and Palestinian Responses to the Turkish War of Independence, 1919–22

The imposition of British rule in Palestine following World War I did not immediately supplant one imperial system with another or Ottoman identities with national ones. Examining Palestinian responses to the Turkish war of independence, this article argues that the 1917–22 period should be seen as a “liminal” era suspended between imperial systems. Both Kemalists and Palestinians employed a discourse of loyalty to the Ottoman dynasty, Muslim identity, and resistance to European rule to frame their goals. It was only after the creation of the Turkish Republic and the promulgation of the British Mandate, the author argues, that nationalist identities displaced Ottoman ones for both Turks and Palestinians.

Awad Halabi is an associate professor of history and religion at Wright State University. The author would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, Salim Tamari and Issam Nassar for their helpful suggestions, and the editorial staff of the Journal of Palestine Studies. All errors are the responsibility of the author.