Great book, anyway. Friend of mine who teaches Jewish history told me it was hugely controversial in Israel. Mike Larkin
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I just finished reading a similar history, from an introduction to Leo Strauss's early writings (Michael Zank). Indeed it is fascinating stuff.
I think the important thing to remember about the Brits was their simultaneous manipulations of Trans-Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iraq. The whole region was won from the Ottoman Empire in WWI. Oil and imperial power moves against the French were the main concerns of the British.
Once the British got the Balfour declaration into the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine (1920), and the establishment of a Jewish Agency, the British set about controlling Jewish immigration through the Jewish Agency. Remember this history is simultaneous with Lawrence and Faizal. I think I would say the Brits were not bumbling or indifferent. They were pro-actively suppressing Jewish immigration into Palestine. That become much clearer in the 30s when the Nazis took power and the need for immigration became obvious and desparate. The British stalled and put up more and more restrictions.
There is also an Israeli history website that list the key votes in the WZO, Zionist Congresses from 1890-something on. You can read and figure out the power politics almost directly from these minor notes. The Congresses were established in Germany and were held there mostly through the 20s, then switched to Switzerland once the Nazi took over--then suspended until after the war. It is during the early 30s in Germany that the background for the collaboration between some of the Zionist organizations and the Nazi administration of the Jewish Question is set up---but this is waay controversial stuff. I think only Hannah Arendt and few others have gone into any of this history (reading suggestions welcome).
As a side note. Leo Strauss was up to his same old nasty tricks working in the early Zionist organizations in Germany in the 20s---that is picking away at the loss of spiritual values in political Zionism. Duh! What an asshole, all the way down.
After the Zionists, Strauss turns to guess who? Herr Carl Schmitt, later to become legal consultant to the Third Reich, helping to write Nazi laws. Just a great guy for Leo to suck up to. Schmitt writes Strauss a letter of recommendation for a Rockefeller foundation fellowship in Paris, and lucky Leo scoots from Germany just in time in 1932!
Any dirt anybody can add to Leo's activities in the Zionist organizations of the Weimar period---please feel free to contribute.
Chuck Grimes