Ohaila Khan;xNLx;;xNLx;;xNLx;;xNLx;;xNLx;;xNLx;;xNLx;;xNLx;Photo:;xNLx;http://kafilabackup.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/1282231687-the-secrets-behind-the-palestinian-flag-_414349.jpg?w=600&h=399;xNLx;;xNLx;Background Photo:;xNLx;http://downloadwallpaperhd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Palestine-Flag-HD-Wallpaper.jpg;xNLx;
By the early 1900s, Palestine was mostly Arab, and mostly Muslim. Theodor Herzl, an Austrian journalist, believed that although assimilation was desirable, it was impossible to come by for the Jewish people, due to anti-Semitism’s rise in Europe. He organized the first Zionist Congress in Switzerland, and created the World Zionist Organization, stating, “Zionism strives to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine secured by public law.” When the Ottoman government did not give into Herzl’s request, He turned to Great Britain. Britain gave uninhabited land in Uganda (present-day Kenya) up for settlement, but the Zionists still wanted Palestine. Support for the Zionist movement came from Jews in Europe and North America, and as people began moving to Palestine, the Jewish population rose from 4% in 1845 to around 13% in 1914.
The correspondence between Sharif Hussein, Governor of the Hijaz Province of Arabia, and Sir Henry McMahon, the British high commissioner to Egypt, is known as one of the most controversial British involvements in the Middle East. In a collection of eight letters, the two negotiated terms where Hussein would encourage Arabs to revolt against the Ottoman Empire, and then join the Allies in WWI. Hussein’s goal was to secure independence from the Ottoman Turks and create a single unified Arab state from Syria to Yemen. In these letters, he demanded recognition of Independence from Britain for the Arab areas which are now known as Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia.
Also known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, these were secret negotiations from the British on the side, in which France and Britain laid down country borders to divide up the Middle East. French Diplomat Francois Georges-Picot and British Diplomat Sir Mark Sykes worked out details in five months. They divided the land which was under Ottoman rule since the 16th century, into two spheres. Iraq, Transjordan, and Palestine would be under British control, and the French would control Syria and Lebanon.
Sharif Hussein led the revolt, accusing the Young Turks of violating sacred Islamic beliefs. He called on Arab Muslims to rebel against the “impious” government. On the other hand, the Turks accused rebelling tribes for betraying the Muslim Caliphate during his campaign against imperialist powers, which were trying to divide and take control of Muslim lands. The Turks ended up being right, and the British Empire’s intentions were more cynical than Hussein knew.
The Balfour Declaration is a letter from the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. This document confirmed support from the British government for Palestine to become a “national home” for the Jewish people once the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate over Ottoman Empire territories. This declaration was a contrast to the Hussein-McMahon correspondence, which promised Arab independence and for Ottoman land to be divided in the limits and boundaries formed by Sharif Hussein.
After the approval of the British Mandate, Jewish migration rapidly increased. Tel Aviv became the country’s largest Jewish city, and dozens of towns and villages were also founded. Jewish agricultural and industrial enterprises were also established. Many Zionist political parties from Eastern Europe developed labor, religious, and nationalist bases in Palestine. By the 1940s, the Jewish population rose up to 30% of the Palestinian population.
Amin al-Husseini played a key role in opposition to Zionism. He held many influential positions in Palestine, along with Grand Mufti, and was also elected President of the Supreme Muslim Council. He focused on uniting Arabs in order to keep a strong front against Zionism. He led many revolts and strikes against the British and Zionists.
The British Mandate for Palestine is approved by the League of Nations, making the Sykes-Picot Agreement official, and granting Britain control over Palestine. This encouraged many Jewish families to move to Palestine for protection from anti-Semitism.
During this time there was a nationalist uprising by Palestinian Arabs. They protested against British colonial rule and demanded Palestinian independence. They feared the biased support the British gave the Jewish people when it came to means of economic power in Palestine. The first phase of revolts was led by the urban and elitist Higher Arab Committee, and was focused mainly on strikes and political protest. By October 1936, the British Civil Administration had defeated this phase, using political concessions, international diplomacy, and threat of martial law. The second phase, in late 1937, was more forceful and led by the lower class. The British Army violently suppressed people in order to shut down any popular support. Over 10% of the Arab male population between the ages of 20-60 were either imprisoned, wounded, or killed. After over 20,000 Palestinian casualties, the British were able to intimidate the Arab population, and the revolt was rendered unsuccessful.
The idea of peaceful coexistence began to look impossible after recent revolts, so Britain administered the Peel Commission, led by Lord Robert Peel, in which the commission concluded there was no hope of cooperation between Arabs and Jews. After dismissing the possibility of amity, the commission instead recommended that Palestine be split into three parts: an Arab state, a Jewish state, and a neutral sacred-site state which would be administered by Britain. Within two years, Britain found this as a no-win solution as well, and issued the White Paper.
In a surprising reversal of prior commitments, on the eve of WWII, Britain issued the MacDonald White Paper of 1939. This severely limited Jewish immigration to Palestine for another five years, after which immigration would halt altogether. The reason for this change in commitment was due to the Iraqi-Haifi oil pipeline. During the revolt, Arabs would constantly target the pipeline, which was one of Britain’s main interests in the Middle East. Britain was afraid of another Arab revolt which would be extremely beneficial to Hitler and his movement. Britain knew they needed to keep Arab leaders happy, so in addition, the White Paper also promised Palestine an independent state within 10 years, a major shock to Zionist leaders.
After WWII ended, and the Nazi death camps were exposed, Zionist groups pushed Britain to reopen Palestine’s doors. Since Palestine was left leaderless and therefore defenseless, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Transjordan, Yemen, and Egypt organized the League of Arab States to pressure Britain to keep Palestine’s immigration halted. The Arab League reinstated the Arab Higher Committee as the supreme executive branch for Palestine.
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close