George Antonius

His 1938 book The Arab Awakening generated an ongoing debate over such issues as the origins of Arab nationalism, the significance of the Arab Revolt of 1916, and the machinations behind the post-World War I political settlement in the Arab world. In the book, he raised concern about the fate of religious coexistence in Palestine in the face of Zionist settlement, while also recognizing the horror of anti-Jewish Nazism.

George Antonius studied at King's College and Victoria College. The recorded working language is Arabic and English. Places of work recorded in the authority are Jerusalem and New York City. Employment is recorded with Institute of Current World Affairs and Civil Service. Works named in the authority record are The Arab Awakening. Distinctions recorded are Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

• Name — George Antonius • Born — 19 October 1891 • Birthplace — Deir al-Qamar, Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Empire • Died — 21 May 1942 • Place of death — Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine • Region — Eastern Mediterranean • School Tradition — Arab nationalism • Main Interests — History, literature • Illustration — Tombstone of George Antonius at the Orthodox cemetery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The epitaph says "Heed and awaken, O Arabs".

Antonius was born on October 19, 1891 to an Eastern Orthodox Arab family in the Lebanese village of Deir al-Qamar. He was brought up in Alexandria, Egypt, where his father, Habib Antonius, was already well established. • Illustration — Sir Gilbert Clayton and George Antonius (in white suit) with King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud (centre), Jedda c 1925. After graduating from Victoria College in Alexandria, Antonius attended King's College at Cambridge University from 1914 to 1930, where he joined the British civil service first in Egypt and then Mandatory Palestine. He then became the deputy in the Education Department in Mandatory Palestine. In 1925, Antonius joined Gilbert Clayton in the newly formed Saudi Arabia, as his translator and advisor in the negotiations to agree on the boundaries of Saudi Arabia with Iraq, Transjordan and Yemen. He resigned his position in 1930 to become the Middle East field representative of the Institute of Current World Affairs in New York City. He was secretary general to all the Arab delegations to the London Conference of 1939. Antonius was a follower of Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. He acted as a liaison officer for al-Husseini in negotiations between Palestinian Muslims and the Catholic Church to reach an anti-Zionist agreement. Antonius was among the first Arabs to promote pro-Arab positions regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict in universities in the United States.

Antonius was the son-in-law of Faris Nimr who was a Lebanese journalist and founder of the newspaper Al Muqattam. His wife, who he married in 1928, Katy Nimr, was a daughter of Faris Nimr, a wealthy Lebanese Christian and cultural activist. Their daughter, Soraya Antonius (1932–2017), was the author of two significant novels chronicling British-ruled Palestine from the 1910s to 1948: The Lord (1986) and Where the Jinn Consult (1987). Antonius had a difficult relationship with the British. Despite his senior position he and his wife were refused membership in the Jerusalem sports club which had a "No Natives" policy.

• Illustration — London Conference, St. James' Palace, February 1939. Palestinian delegates (foreground), Left to right: Fu'ad Saba, Yaqub Al-Ghussein, Musa Alami, Amin Tamimi, Jamal Al-Husseini, Awni Abdul Hadi, George Antonius, and Alfred Roch. Facing the Palestinians are the British, with Sir Neville Chamberlain presiding. To his right is Lord Halifax, and to his left, Malcolm MacDonald. • Illustration — While writing The Arab Awakening, Antonius was a tenant at the Shepherd Hotel.