Books Zionism and Free Enterprise: The Story of Private Entrepreneurs in Citrus Plantations in Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s (Israel Studies in Historical Geography) by Irit Amit-Cohen (Author)

"Zionism and Free Enterprise: The Story of Private Entrepreneurs in Citrus Plantations in Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s" by Irit Amit-Cohen explores the role of private Jewish entrepreneurs in developing the citrus plantation industry during the British Mandate period in Palestine. The book tells the story of North American, South African, English, and Egyptian Jewish investors who established citrus plantations, significantly transforming Palestine’s economy and settlement landscape in the 1920s and 1930s.

This work examines the tension between Zionist ideology, which emphasized settlement and nation-building, and mainstream economic thinking, focusing on how private enterprise contributed to economic growth through citrus cultivation and export, especially in the Jaffa region. Jewish entrepreneurs purchased land often from absentee Arab landlords, facilitated by British Mandate land policies, and expanded Jewish-owned citrus groves rapidly, surpassing Arab-owned plantations by 1930. Despite rising political and nationalist tensions, there was notable cooperation in the citrus industry between Arab and Jewish professionals who worked together on marketing, pest control, and quality standards during this period.