• King Abdullah of Transjordan: The central figure who had a unique stance on the Palestinian Arab state and its association with Israel.

• The Israelis: The people of the newly formed Jewish state, Israel.

Before a major war...

• Secret Meeting 🔍

  • King Abdullah and an Israeli leader held a covert rendezvous.

  • Abdullah's viewpoint: A standalone Palestinian Arab state = 🌱 Too weak.

  • Abdullah's vision: 🌍 Merge it with his own state to create an enlarged Arab domain.

  • British vibes: 🤝 Some British support for Abdullah's vision.

• Unspoken Understandings 🤫

  • No official papers signed. But, a 🤝 mutual understanding between Abdullah and the Israelis emerged.

When the war drums started...

• Abdullah’s Moves 🎖

  • Defense: The Arab Legion (Abdullah's army) stepped up to protect the Old City, Jerusalem's eastern part.

  • Limited aggression: The Arab Legion didn’t chase Israelis in west Jerusalem. And, here's a plot twist - they never intruded into the new Jewish state!

• Strategic Neutrality ⚖️

  • When Israel and Egypt went head-to-head, Abdullah was like: 🍿 "I'm just watching."

  • His forces remained neutral, not supporting Egyptian forces in various phases of the war.

• Endgame Goals 🎯

  • Not to obliterate Israel. Nope!

  • The dream: Get most of Arab Palestine (west of the Jordan river). Which, spoiler alert, they did!

• Israel’s Smart Play 🧠

  • Utilized their connection with Transjordan.

  • Result? Broke the unity of hostile Arab states. Played a game of "divide & conquer" by targeting individual Arab foes.

Imagine two kids in school, David (Israel) and Andy (Abdullah). They're not best buddies, but they've got a secret pact. When a group of kids (Arab coalition) tries to bully David, Andy doesn't exactly fight them all. But, he subtly supports David, ensuring the main bully (Egypt) can't rally everyone against him. It’s kinda like when you don't invite someone to your birthday party but also don't spread rumors about them. 😉