Palestine

Question 1

Why did the British want control in the Middle East? (3)

Answer 1

Main overland route to India/the Asian Empire
Close to Suez Canal
Oil (esp. in Iraq)

Question 2

Sykes-Picot Agreement

Answer 2

1915

Secret agreement between the French and British to divide the Middle East between them

Question 3

McMahon Letter

Answer 3

Also known as McMahon-Hussein Correspondence
October 1915
Promised Arabs a united Arab country, covering most of the Middle East if they helped Britain defeat the Ottoman Empire

Question 4

Who wrote the McMahon letter?

Answer 4

Written by Sir Henry McMahon, High Commissioner of Egypt

Question 5

Who received the McMahon letter?

Answer 5

Hussein bin Ali, the Sheriff of Mecca

De facto political leader in Palestine

Question 6

Balfour Declaration

Answer 6

1917

Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour declared his support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine

Question 7

Growing percentage of Jews in Palestine

Answer 7

1918 - 6.8% of Palestine

1931 - 18%

Question 8

Civil government set up under High Commissioner Herbert Samuel

Answer 8

1920
Attempted to bring Arabs and Jews into elected bodies who could influence government policy but they were unable to cooperate

Question 9

Violent clashes between Arabs and Jews began

Answer 9

April 1919

Question 10

Haganah formed

Answer 10

1920

Jewish underground militia

Question 11

Enquiries recommended that Jewish land acquisition should be curbed

Answer 11

1929 and 1931

Question 12

Jewish National Fund

Answer 12

Helped many Jews buy land in Palestine which caused poor Arab farmers to lose their land

Question 13

Arab uprising

Answer 13

August 1929

Provoked violent Jewish retaliation

Question 14

Passfield White Paper

Answer 14

1930
Restricted Jewish administration and the sale of Palestinian land to Jews
Appeared to repudiate the Balfour Declaration in an attempt to placate the Arabs

Question 15

Hitler became German Chancellor

Answer 15

March 1933

Increasing Jewish emigration to Palestine

Question 16

Massive Arab Revolt

Answer 16

1936
British sent 20,000 troops to Palestine to deal with it
Burned villages and detained thousands of suspects

Question 17

Peel report

Answer 17

1937

Recommended that Palestine should be partitioned

Question 18

British policy of repression

Answer 18

1937-39

Over 100 Arab terrorists were executed

Question 19

British attempt to end the violence before WWII

Answer 19

1939
Called for a Palestinian state in which Jews would have the right to a national homeland
Palestine would be declared independent in 10 years
Jewish immigration was restricted to 15,000 people per year for the next 5 years

Question 20

Stern Gang

Answer 20

Militant Zionist terrorist organisation formed in 1940