Ezra Danin

Ezra Danin (b. Jaffa, 1903 - d. 1985) was an Israeli spy, Israeli politician and an orange grower. Danin was an “Orientalist” member of the Mapai party who saw himself as experts on Arab affairs. [Selwyn Ilan Troen, Noah Lucas (1995) p 641]

Biography

During the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939, Danin was an agent in the Haganah spy network in the British mandate district of Samaria, Palestine. In 1940, He joined the Arab section of the SHAI and remained until 1948 to liaise with the Arab businesses, the Jewish Agency and Haganah.

On the 17 November 1947 Danin accompanied Golda Meir, Meir representing the Jewish Agency in the stead of Moshe Sharett, with Eliahu Sasson to Naharayim on the river Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan. [Avi Shlaim (1988 reprinted 2004) p 31] The Danin-Sasson reports were then produced based on this meeting. [Efraim Karsh(2000) p.86]

On May 11, 1948, 4 days before the proclamation of the independence of Israel and the entry into the Arab-Israeli war. Danin again accompanied Meir to Amman for negotiations with King Abdullah of Jordan. [Avi Shlaim (1988 reprinted 2004) p 32]

According to Nur Masalha and Benny Morris the first unofficial Transfer Committee, composed of Yosef Weitz, Danin and Sasson, was established in May 1948. Before being transformed into the supervisory Transfer Committee in June. [Benny Morris, (2004) p.312] [Masalha, (1992), p. 188] The third transformation was in August 1948 with the Committee for Arab affairs, which included Weitz, Danin, Yaacov Shimoni, Gad Machnes and Zalman Lifshiz. Finally the Committee was reduced to two men Weitz and Danin. [Ilan Pappé (2006) pp 211-213] Danin then served as a Director of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East Department under Golda Meir.

Footnotes

Bibliography

* Efraim Karsh (2000) "Fabricating Israeli History: The new Historians" Routledge ISBN 0714650110
* Nur-eldeen Masalha, (1992), "Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of 'Transfer' in Zionist Political Thought 1882-1948" Institute for Palestine Studies ISBN 0887282350
* Benny Morris (2004) "Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited", Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521009677
* Ilan Pappé (2006) "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" Oneworld publications ISBN 9781851684670
* Selwyn Ilan Troen, Noah Lucas (1995) "Israel: The First Decade of Independence" SUNY Press ISBN 0791422593
* Avi Shlaim (1988 reprinted 2004) "The Politics of Partition; King Abdullah, The Zionists, and Palestine 1921-1951" Oxford University Press ISBN 019829459X