ITALIAN INVOLVEMENT

Janet Levy, reviewing Simon Sullam’s history of the Italy during the Holocaust (“Exposing Italian crimes,” Books, November 23) notes that, unlike the “prevalent view,” indeed Italy “played a significant role in the genocide of its citizens.” But Italy played an earlier role in the attempted genocide of another group of Jews, those of Mandate Palestine.

Nir Arielli’s 2008 study of the Italian involvement in the Arab Revolt 1936-1939 in Palestine details Italy’s assistance to the rebel terrorist gangs, the secret contacts between Italian officials and the Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, and describes the financial support given by Italy as well as the attempts to smuggle arms to Palestine. The Tripartite (or Berlin) Pact between Germany, Italy and Japan signed in Berlin on September 27, 1940, recognized Italy’s hegemony in the Arab lands, of which Palestine was not to be Jewish. As Philip Matar, a historian sympathetic to the Mufti, noted in his 1988 article, Italy pursued an anti-Jewish policy against the Jewish homeland and as late as April 1942, “Italy... agreed to the abolition of the Jewish National Homeland in Palestine.”

Oddly enough, Italy had provided full support to the establishment and existence of the Betar Naval Academy located in Civitavecchia, Italy from 1934 to 1938. Due to Mussolini’s policy change to support the Mufti and his designs, however, he closed the academy.

YISRAEL MEDAD Shiloh