Unequal British tariffs crushed Arab industry while shielding Jewish industry

Evidence

The British abolished both export tariffs on Jewish-produced goods and import tariffs on the raw materials they required. At the same time, Britain imposed high import tariffs on foreign goods, such as cement and chemicals, that could compete with Jewish industries. The opposite treatment was given to Arab-produced goods. No import tariffs were placed on foreign goods that could compete with Arab-dominated industries like soap, olive oil, and agricultural products. Indeed, Britain’s enforcement of an open border policy on agriculture, previously tested in India, punished Palestinian farmers, who had to struggle to compete with imported food products, which increased their debt and eventually forced many to sell their land to large landowners. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 312

Categorization

• XREF: The tariff asymmetry is a textbook infant-industry-protection reversal — Britain protected Jewish industry and exposed Arab production to full competition, the inverse of classic developmentalism.