Segregation in Mandatory Jerusalem and economic interests
In the study of the Mandate period, Jewish-Arab relations are often discussed as having existed between two populations living within one political framework. Over time, several schools of thought have developed regarding these relations. As part of her methodological analysis of the historiography of the Mandate period, Aviva Halamish identifies the first three approaches that emerged, in chronological order. The first approach is the dual society: according to this approach, Jews and Arabs lived alongside each other in two separate societies whose points of contact were limited mainly to the economic sphere. This dual society was characterized by separate systems, involving different levels of wages, income, education, political institution-alization, and more. Nevertheless, with regards to the dual society the difference between the notions of segregation and separation should be emphasized. Thus, various studies analyzing a dual society show how the systems tend to interact with
one another within different frameworks of activity. According to Jacob Metzer, the case of the economic fabric in Mandatory Palestine is not different in this respect, despite the unique characteristics of the Zionist case in relation to colonial settlements.