Date Israel as a Modern State Dreams of independence, visions of conflict

Dreams of Independence ✤ For years, Arabs living under Ottoman rule had been more or less content with Ottoman rule. ✤ However, with the completion of a railway in 1908, and the advent of World War 1, many Arabs in the Middle East began to work for independence. ✤ The Railway symbolized the intrusion of the Ottomans into everyday life, while World War 1 brought with it many successful independence movements within Europe that inspired peoples nationalist goals.

✤ The threat of Jewish settlers was a focus for Palestinian poets. They encouraged

British Backing. ✤ Britain secretly supported - with weapons, intelligence and money - local Arab leaders who wanted independence. ✤ Some, like ‘al-Fatat,’ had a pan-Arab Nationalist Agenda. This meant they wanted a unified Arab State across the region. ✤ Others, like Sharif Hussein ibn Ali wanted to consolidate and establish their own smaller kingdom. ✤ The British supported them all - in the hopes that they would help with the fight against the Turk.

Conflicting Promises ✤ During World War 1, the British promised these Arab leaders autonomy after the war. ✤ The McMahon-Hussein Agreement of October 1915 was accepted by Arabs in the region of Palestine as a promise by the British that after World War One, land previously held by the Turks would be returned to the Arab nationals who lived in that land. ✤ The McMahon-Hussein Agreement was to greatly complicate matters in the Middle East, because it directly clashed with the Balfour Declaration of 1917.

Dreams of a Homeland ✤ The Jewish people have been spread out throughout the world for 2000 years. This has been a source of weakness and strength for them. ✤ Many prominent Jewish businessmen supported the idea of a National Home for Jewish people. ✤ Living in different countries made life uncertain. If times got bad, the majority population would often turn on the Jewish minority with violent results.

British Promise to the Jews: Balfour Declaration, 1917 ✤ His Majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non- Jewish communities in Palestine…

Essential Question: ✤ How did Britain’s actions in Palestine after 1918 lay the groundwork for the on-going conflict between the Jews and the Arabs in the Middle East today?

Arab Nationalism ✤ In Palestine, the nationalists had been encouraged by independence movements elsewhere in the region. ✤ Iraq in 1931, and Egypt in 1936 were both taking strides towards independence.

Situation in Palestine ✤ The situation in Palestine was complicated by the fact that both Jews and Arabs wanted to create a national homeland. ✤ In order to understand this conflict, we have to understand the Zionist movement.

David Ben-Gurion ✤ Ben-Gurion was a Polish Jew who had immigrated to Palestine in ✤ He was passionately committed to creating a jewish homeland in Palestine. ✤ He believed that the Jews could settle in the sparsely populated Negev desert without disturbing the Arab population

Jewish Settlements: the Kibbutz ✤ A kibbutz is a small communal settlement. ✤ Young Jews in Palestine were encouraged to go set up Kibbutz in areas that were unpopulated. ✤ This was met with resistance from the local Arab populations. As a result, members of the Kibbutz were often armed. Idealized Jewish settler

1929 Arab Riots ✤ IZBAH AL-YAHUD! [“Slaughter All the Jews!” ✤ The Arabs felt they were losing their homeland, and violence began to be the norm Jewish 19191, , , , , , , , , , , ,944 Immigration 19314, , , , , , , , , , ,592

Cycle of Violence ✤ The violence started small - a person from one side gets beaten up, then others get beaten in retaliation. ✤ Over time, the violence escalates. ✤ Who is at fault?

Arab uprising ✤ Ben-Gurion and other Zionists bring as many Jewish Immigrants into Palestine as they can. ✤ Arab leaders are worried that eventually there will be more Jews in Palestine than Arabs, so they appeal to the British to find a solution.

First Phase ✤ In 1936, the rebellion consisted of protests and general strikes. ✤ The Peel Commission - a British inquiry suggested a two state solution - one for the Arabs and one for the Jews ✤ This infuriated the Arab population and triggered a second phase in the revolt

Arab Goals ✤ An end to Jewish immigration to Palestine. ✤ An end to the transfer of lands to Jewish owners. ✤ A new “general representative government.”

Peel Commission ✤ This was the plan to divide Palestine

Second Phase ✤ In the second phase, in response to the Peel commission, violence against the British spread throughout the countryside. ✤ The British responded harshly, and - with the help of the Jewish defence force (the Haganah) - they put down the rebellion. British soldiers with Arab hostages

White Paper ✤ In 1939, in order to calm the situation, the British took a step back from the Peel Commission. This enraged the Jewish population. ✤ The new policy, as laid out in the White Paper, set a limit of 75,000 Jewish immigrants for the five-year period , consisting of a regular yearly quota of 10,000, and an extra 25,000, spread out over the same period, to cover emergencies. ✤ This basically guaranteed that the Arabs would remain the majority in the area.

Ben-Gurion and WW2 ✤ Ben-Gurion wanted a policy of restraint during the Arab Uprising. ✤ Afterwards, once World War 2 began, he said that the Jews should "support the British as if there is no White Paper and oppose the White Paper as if there is no war" ✤ Events in Europe would have a huge effect on the situation in Palestine.

The Nazi Holocaust ✤ Over 6,000,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis during World War 2

Aliyah Bet : Illegal Jewish Immigration ✤ During the war Ben-Gurion helped to bring thousands of Jews illegally to Israel

Plan for Partition. ✤ The British felt unable to maintain control of the situation in Palestine. The cycle of violence was spiraling out of control. ✤ They agreed to leave the area in 1948, and to use the UN to vote on what should become of Palestine. ✤ In 1948 the UN voted on Resolution 181, which was a plan for dividing the area into a Palestinian and Israeli homeland

Arab Views of the Partition ✤ Azzam Pasha, general secretary of the Arab League, said, "We will sweep them [the Jews] into the sea". ✤ The Syrian president, Shukri al-Quwatli, told his people: "We shall eradicate Zionism".Shukri al-Quwatli ✤ The Egyptian King, Farouk told the American ambassador to Egypt, that in the long run the Arabs would soundly defeat the Jews and drive them out of Palestine.

Attempts at Vote Fixing ✤ There are reports of both sides using bribes, promises and threats to win countries over to their side of the vote.

Outcome ✤ The Jews were to possess more than half of Palestine, although they made up less than half of Palestine’s population. The Palestinian Arabs, aided by volunteers from other countries, fought the Zionist forces, but by May 14, 1948, the Jews had secured full control of their U.N.-allocated share of Palestine and also some Arab territory. ✤ On May 14, Britain withdrew with the expiration of its mandate, and the State of Israel was proclaimed. The next day, forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded.