Middle Eastern Tensions And British Policy

Question 1

What happened in the Sykes-picot treaty of 1916?

Answer 1

. Britain and French foreign ministers believed the Middle East would be best controlled by Europe
. Picot (French) wanted influence in Syria
. Britain got control over south and central Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq)

These borders (Asia minor agreement) were drawn up with little care for culture in the Middle East

Question 2

What were the faults made in the Sykes picot treaty?

Answer 2

. It didn’t account for the creation of Turkey
. Arbitrary borders were drawn, not very well thought through
. It was agreed to before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution

Question 3

Why was Britain interested in the Middle East?

Answer 3

Palestine was close to the Suez Canal
Mesopotamia was oil-rich = increased value

Question 4

What was the Balfour Declaration?

Answer 4

Letter sent by Arthur Balfour to Walter Rothschild (leader of British Jewish community) in August 1917 to show sympathy with Jewish ‘Zionist’ aspirations.
- Britain promised support for a ‘national homeland’ for Jews in Palestine

Question 5

What were the real motives behind the Balfour Declaration?

Answer 5

. Possibly genuine support for Zionists
. Britain wanted support of anti-imperialist American public as they had vast Jewish population
. Help secure post-war control of Palestine
. Harness Jewish support for the war, particularly USA

Overall: Britain were trying to get support from large Jewish population to win the war, showing Britain’s short-term thinking

Question 6

How did the articles of the Palestinian mandate reveal how B.D and Arab promises clashed?

Answer 6

. National homeland wasn’t properly defined on how it would look
. Didn’t state how Arab majority rights would be protected

Question 7

Why did Britain seem to use a lack of planning and vagueness in the Balfour Declaration but how was this a problem?

Answer 7

. As Britain had no real plan, they were able to stay in Palestine for as long as possible as they could maintain the status that they needed to ‘control’ the violence between Jews and Arabs even though they caused it, allowing Britain to protect their strategic interests in the Middle East
- however, this meant no proper exit strategy was developed

. Staying in Palestine deliberately completely goes against the idea of a mandate supposedly helping nations become indepdent

Question 8

How were Britain’s policies in Palestine flawed?

Answer 8

Based on flawed assumptions:
. Thought Zionist development would benefit Arab population
. Assumed modern Zionist leadership weren’t interesting in creating their own state
. Palestinian Arabs were not thought to constitute a nation (racial prejudice)

. As an Empire, Britain maintaining reputation as a tough actor had to be protected, but this meant Britain had little care for the long-term effects for their policies on the general Palestinian population

Question 9

How was Britain’s policies in Palestine reminiscent of the empires belief in superiority?

Answer 9

British government failed to understand the concerns of the average Palestinian even though they are the people that are needed to be understood for long term peace to be made

Question 10

How was British situation so bad in Palestine that it had to withdraw?

Answer 10

. Spring 1947 - sterling crisis weakened British economy
. British had spent over 100 million governing Palestine since January 1945
. More than 330 British soldiers had died fighting the conflict in Palestine

Overall: post-ww2, Palestine was not worth holding onto

Question 11

What was Britain’s main task as an empire when administrating the British mandate in Palestine?

Answer 11

. Maintain a buffer against threats to the Suez Canal (strategic interest) with British military presence while also maintaining internal stability in Palestine (status interest).

Question 12

What was the first main problem in the administration of Palestine?

Answer 12

. Trying to simultaneously please and reconcile the growing Jewish community whilst also easing the resentment and fears of Palestinian Arabs as a result of the migrating newcomers

Question 13

What was the first main problem in the administration of Palestine?

Answer 13

. Trying to simultaneously please and reconcile the growing Jewish community whilst also easing the resentment and fears of Palestinian Arabs as a result of the migrating newcomers

Question 14

How did different British authorities in london vs Palestine view administration in Palestine?

Answer 14

. London government: favoured Jewish community
. British authorities in Palestine were more sympathetic to the Arabs

Why?

Question 15

When was British administration of Palestine set up and under who?

Answer 15

1920: civil government under Herbert Samuel

Question 16

What was Herbert Samuel’s role in administering Palestine?

Answer 16

. Tried to merge Arab’s and Jews into elected representative bodies with influence over public policies
- bold to assume they would cooperate
- ethnic tensions prevented co-operation

Question 17

How did the arrival of Jews in Palestine create problems over landholding?

Answer 17

. Most Palestinian Arabs were poor farmers, and Jews were generally wealthier
. The Jews bought land with the help of the Jewish National funds driving many Arabs from their farms

Question 18

How did the government in Palestine try to curb Jewish dominance over landholding but how did it fail?

Answer 18

1929: enquiry to curb Jewish policy of land acquisition
1931: enquiry that recommended restrictions on Jewish land acquisition

The government had to back down on these changes due to dominating pro-Jewish feeling in USA and Britain

Question 19

When did Jewish immigration to Palestine start?

Answer 19

From 1933 due to Nazi persecution of the Jews, and heightened with the holocaust

Question 20

How did Britain try to deal with Palestinian violence in 1936?

Answer 20

Sent 20,000 troops to Palestine to deal with Arab insurgency (rebellion) and attacks on Jews

Question 21

What was the Peel Report (1937)?

Answer 21

Recommended for Palestine to be partitioned into Jewish and Arab areas, with British authorities ruling over religious controversial areas such as Jerusalem (divide and rule)
- this idea was rejected by Arabs