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British Policy in the Middle East
Who was given mandate over Palestine in 1919?
Britain
What happened in 1921 and 1929?
Arab/Palestinian-Jewish riots
What was the Jewish Agency?
The governing body of the Zionist movement, during the British mandate of Palestine
Who was the leader of the Jewish Agency?
David Ben-Gurion
What happened in 1937?
The Peel Commission
What was the Zionist response to the partition plan?
That they would accept it but planned to eventually take over Palestine
Why did Britain issue the White Paper?
So that Arab countries would not join forces with Hitler in WW2
How did Jewish-Zionist settlers get military experience?
By serving and fighting for Britain in WW2
Why did Zionists pressure the USA for support?
Because they were the most powerful superpower country
What convinced Britain to give up the mandate of Palestine?
The hanging of 2 British soldiers by the Irgun
The refusal of ‘The Exodus’ to land in Palestine
What was the Arab response to the UN partition plan?
They rejected it, as they lost many major cities, and were given less land despite their larger population
What was the Jewish response to the UN partition plan?
They were convinced it wouldn’t last, and were preparing to fight for the whole state
How did the Jewish population have an advantage in the Palestinian civil war?
They were politically unified and had unified military forces, unlike the Arabs who all had individual motives
What was the name of the governing body of the Zionist movement in British Palestine between the wars?
The Jewish Agency
When was the Jewish Agency created?
1929
What did the Jewish Agency do?
Advocate for Jews settling in Palestine
raise funding
act as the negotiating party for Jewish-Palestinians in the UN
When did WW1 start?
1914
When did WW1 end?
1918
When did WW2 start?
1939
When did WW2 end?
1945
What was the White Paper?
Planned for an independent Palestine within 10 years
Restricted Jewish immigration rights
What was the Peel Commission?
A plan for a two state system, a partitioned Palestine
How were the Peel Commission and the White Paper different?
The Peel Commission was a plan for two separate states, whereas the White Paper was a plan for Jews to live in Palestine without a separate state.
When was the British White Paper?
1939
When was the Peel Commission?
1937
What happened in 1939?
The British White Paper
What happened in 1917?
The Balfour Declaration
What was the Balfour Declaration?
A letter from the British Government declaring support for a Jewish home in Palestine
What happened in 1916?
The Sykes-Picot Agreement
What was the Sykes-Picot Agreement?
An agreement between Britain and France to directly rule or influence certain Arab states
What happened in 1919?
The Treaty of Versailles
What did the Treaty of Versailles do for the League of Nations Mandates?
Gave Britain Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq
Define ‘diaspora’
The dispersal of a people to many different parts of the world
What did Theodor Herzl argue?
European Jews could not expect an end to prejudice, so should find their own home state
When did Herzl argue his Zionist belief?
1896
How many Zionists had settled in Palestine by 1914?
60,000
Why were Jews in the 20th century seeking their own home state?
Because they were facing prejudice in Europe:
They couldn’t vote
They couldn’t buy land
They couldn’t live with Christians
What was established in 1913?
Arab Congress
Define Arab Nationalism
Calls for individual Arab states to band together
Define Pan-Arabism
Advocates for a singular, unified Arab state
Why did Britain declare support of the Zionist cause?
It would appeal to Russian Jews, who would there enforce Russia’s participation in the allied forces, despite a potential government change (Russian Revolution 1917)
It would attract support from American Jews who would put pressure on the president to join the war
It would give the UK undisputed access to Palestine, and therefore serve as a buffer against threats to the Suez Canal
What did the Balfour Declaration not say?
That Britain would help set up a Jewish home in Palestine
How did Zionists interpret the Balfour Declaration?
They assumed that Britain would help set up a Jewish state
Who was Sharif Hussein?
The guardian of Mecca and Medina
Who was Henry McMahon?
The British High Commissioner of Egypt
Why did Britain encourage the Arabs to rebel against the Ottoman Empire?
They wanted the Ottoman’s troops to be diverted so they could win WW1
What was promised to the Arabs in return for revolting?
British support for Arab independence
What did Britain claim the McMahon letters did not include?
Independence for Palestine
What happened in 1915?
The McMahon-Hussein letters
When did the Arabs living under Ottoman rule revolt?
1916
What areas were Britain to indirectly control under Sykes-Picot?
The region running from Egypt to the Persian Gulf
What areas were Britain to directly control under Sykes-Picot?
Iraq and the Persian Gulf
What areas were France to directly control under Sykes-Picot?
Lebanon and coastal Syria
What areas were France to indirectly control under Sykes-Picot?
Syria up to the Iranian border
Why was direct and indirect control established under Sykes-Picot?
To show that France and Britain recognised the future independence of Arab states
What was meant by indirect control under Sykes-Picot?
The controlling country would supply the Arab state with advisors at the request of Arab leaders
What was agreed for Palestine under Sykes-Picot?
It would be under international control
Why did Britain want the Sykes-Picot agreement? (3 reasons)
Britain wanted to maintain a strong alliance with France
Britain wanted to expand links in the Middle East and increase oil produ tion
Britain wanted to protect the Suez Canal
When was the Arab Revolt?
1916
What did the Ottomans to do dissuade the Arabs from revolting? (2 things)
Executed Arab nationalists
Published the Sykes-Picot to prove Britain were breaking promises
What key aim of the Arab Revolt, 1916, failed?
Gaining support from the Arab-Ottoman troops
What tactic was employed in the 1916 Arab Revolt?
Guerrilla warfare
What were British aims before 1914? (2)
Protect the Suez Canal
Keep hold of the Persian Gulf
At the end of the 19th century what % of the population did Jews make in Palestine?
8%
Where did the Arabs target in the 1916 Arab Revolt?
The Hejaz Railway
What did Faisal do in 1918?
Enter and liberate Syria
Was the Arab Revolt successful?
Britain argued it wasn’t, as the Arabs failed to recruit many troops from within the Ottoman army
The Arabs argued that they did what was asked of them, and the Ottomans ended up defeated
Why did Britain encourage the Arab Revolt?
So the Ottoman troops wouldn’t attack the Suez Canal
What was the Treaty of Severs?
Peace treaty signed with the Ottomans
Ottoman Sultan kept his office but had no army or finance, making him completely reliant on western charity
Didn’t give the Kurds or Armenians any help with establishing independence
Confirmed the promises made to the Jews in the Balfour Declaration
What mandates were France given post WW1?
Syria and Lebanon
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