American Geographical Society

L'Expérience Sioniste by Georges ReuttReview by: Franklin S. HarrisGeographical Review, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr., 1949), p. 341Published by: American Geographical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/211058 .

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GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEWS 34I

as the two areas are, they have a great deal in common, because in both the code of the Koran has had much to do with the rules for management and ownership of the land. The discussion on Palestine naturally concems itself largely with a comparison of the Arab and Jewish populations. In i922 the Jewish population was only 83,790, the non-Jewish 668,258:; by I946 the Jews numbered 608,230 and the non-Jews I,303,883. In other words, the non- Jewish population had approximately doubled, whereas the Jewish population had increased almost eight times. This development gives the key to much of the trouble which now plagues that unhappy land.

The two final chapters are devoted to "The Need for New Forms of Tenure" and "The Need for Agricultural Planning." These chapters give an excellent summary of the situation as a whole. They reveal something of the new factor -that has come into the prob- lem as a result of the large oil developments in several sections of the Middle East.

The more than 40 titles in the bibliography show that much has been published in recent years on land problems in the Middle East, which is certainly one of the critical parts of the world from the standpoint of economics and sociology as well as of world peace. The present publication is a helpful addition to the literature.-FRANKLIN S. HARRIS

L'EXPERIENCE SIONISTE. By GEORGES REurT. 23I pp.; maps, ills., bibliogr. Imprimerie Ch. Riveill, Algiers, I948. 350 frs. Io x 612 inches.

Dr. Reutt is an engineer in the agricultural service of Algeria, who in 1945 had an oppor- tunity to visit Palestine. His preparation for writing this treatise is explained in the preface by Professor R. Capot-Rey. His book is divided into three parts. The first discusses the conditions of the development of agriculture in Palestine; the second tells of the Zionist colonization; the third summarizes the new social forms and the reasons for the success of certain projects. About twenty pages are devoted to appendix material.

In the opening chapter, dealing with the environment, Dr. Reutt points out the great variation in topography, soil, and resources in this comparatively small area; he includes also a section on the state of agriculture at the beginning of the century. The chapter de- voted to the population is one of the most interesting. Tables bring out the great com- parative increase in the Jewish population during the past 25 years (see above). The political aspects are next discussed-the Arab and Jewish communities, the political and other or- ganizations formed by both Arabs and Jews for protection and welfare.

In the chapter on the factors affecting land utilization the importance of water is empha- sized. A consideration of the recent expansion in production follows. Among the tables is one showing gains between I938 and I944. For fruits -and some field crops the increase amounted to about 5oo per cent; for dairy products from 28 to 95 per cent. Jewish and Arab acreage and production are compared, and the fruit plantations of Palestine-and Algeria.

About half of the book is devoted to a discussion of the various phases of the Zionist colonization. A number of projects and communities are discussed in detail, and the reasons for success or failure are analyzed.

On the whole, Dr. Reutt's book may be described as informative rather than con- troversial. Those of us who have visited Palestine and who have read recent literature on the present situation have been impressed by the enormous gap between the points of view of Arab and Jewish protagonists. It is refreshing to fmd a discussion of the subject that is not obviously partisan.-FRANKLIN S. HARRIS

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