Rebel at Night, Colonial Official by Day
Keyword: 
‘Arif al-‘Arif diaries
Prince Abdallah
Transjordan
Hashemites
Partisans of Justice
Black Hand (al-Kaff al-Aswad)
Jerusalem education
Reviewed Book
Abstract: 

The memoirs of ‘Arif al-‘Arif in Amman from 1926 to 1929 cover the period when he was secretary to the Ministerial Council, on “loan” from the Mandate authorities. This diary covers the relationship between ‘Arif and Prince Abdallah during the formative period of the Jordanian state. It includes his description of the relationship between the British Colonial Office and the Hashemites, as well as a detailed assessment of the early oppositional groups such as Ansar al-Haq (Partisans of Justice) and the mysterious group known as al-Kaff al-Aswad (the black hand). The book dwells extensively on border conflicts with Arab tribes in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Author biography: 

Salim Tamari is the outgoing editor of the Jerusalem Quarterly.