How did 20th century British politics relate to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict?
1 Answer
The British played a central role in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Explanation:
Britain had had long term interests in the Middle East in the 19th century. However events in the early part of the 20th century meant that they became critically involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
When World War 1 broke out, Palestine was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The Turks allied with Germany so they were enemies with Britain.
During the war the British, through the Balfour Declaration in 1917 made commitments to the Jewish to set up a Jewish homeland in Palestine after a British victory.
The Declaration was made by Foreign Secretary Balfour in a letter to Lord Rothschild a prominent Jewish banker in return for favourable funding of the British war effort.
The British also made commitments to the Palestinians for their support in fighting the occupying Turks.
When the war ended the Ottoman Empire was dismantled. Palestine was given to Britain as a League of Nations Mandate. Britain had 50 years to prepare the people of Palestine for independence.
Given the politics of the time and the imperial perceptions of successive British governments, they failed to realise that the days of the British Empire were limited, and the world was changing. Therefore there was no real commitment by the British to move towards a political solution.
In the inter-war period both Palestinians and Jews pressurised the British for a homeland. They also opposed each other. These pressures turned increasingly violent.
The situation was exacerbated by the coming to power of Hitler. Jews were desperate to get out of Germany and go to Palestine. The British saw this as leading to even greater pressure and they repeatedly prevented Jews from entering Palestine. Most would end up dying in the extermination camps.
When World War 2 ended the British could not control the situation. The UN took over and partitioned Palestine into two states. Israel was immediately attacked by her Arab neighbours. This proved disastrous for the Palestinians who lost nearly all their land in the ensuing war as the Arab armies were heavily defeated.
