Events leading to The creation of israel
Prior to WW1
What was the situation with the Levante prior to the First World War?
The region was apart of the Ottoman empire.
Who controlled the Levante
The British and French gained control during the latter part of WW1.
How did they get this control
British mandate gave Britain control from LON.
How did the Treaty of Versailles impact who controlled the region
Allocated the previously Ottoman region to the British.
November 1917 - The Balfour Declaration
What was the declaration?
Lord Balfour sent a public letter to Lord Rothschild stating British intended to establish a jewish homeland in Palestine.
What were the reasons for the declaration?
Good PR for Britain to be favourable to Zionists.
What were Responses to the declaration from Jews, Arabs and British Public? Why did each group respond the way they did?
Jews viewed it positively and began immigrating to the region on a relatively small scale. Arabs believed it was unfair considering they had occupied the region for thousands of years and the British grew increasingly dissatisfied with the Zionist movement in palestine as it was an unpopular policy therefore complicated to impose.
May, 1916 - The Sykes-Picot Agreement
What was the agreement?
Secret agreement between triple entente during ww1 dividing rule of Ottoman territory.
Why was the agreement signed?
To divide control of the middle east after ww1 and define the boundaries of each sphere of influence.
Who does this benefit?
The British and French as each gain significant territory.
What impact does this have on Palestine or Israel?
Enflames tension as under SP agreement British and French gain control of land that has been promised to multiple other parties.
July 1937 - The Peel Commission
What were the recommendations of the Peel agreement?
That Palestine be divided into 3 states: Arab, Jewish and Neutral territories.
Were they enacted as proposed? What prevented this?
No. Arabs disapproved of the conclusion it had teached and the British claimed an Arab state would be difficult to run.
How did the Palestinians and Jews respond to this idea? Explain the reasons for their response
Palestinians believed the British were going back on their promise and thought they had full rights to the land and were unhappy with a multiple state solution. Some Jews favoured the commission as they would get a state while others believed the deserved the entirety of the region.
Do you think the Palestinians or Jews would respond the same way today? Who would change their mind and why?
They would likely have switched opinions between the two. In modern palestine, the people are largely oppressed and have been uprooted from their homes therefore any more land allotted to them would be viewed positively. Although some palestinians believe the Jews don’t have any right to the land of Israel, the country is so strong now that no territory will ever be returned to palestinians. The Israeli PM does not support a two state solution and the Peel commission would be outrageous to current Israeli government as they continue to expand into palestinian territory.
1939 - White Paper
Why did Britain introduce this?
To essentially reject the Peel commission. It mandates the region be governed by Jews and Palestinians in proportion to it’s population. Moreover it implemented harsh restrictions on Jewish immigration to the region.
Who did it impact?
Jews who desperately needed to escape persecution in Europe.
How did the Jews respond?
Zionists were outraged and planned a rebellion however they never executed it.
1939 - 45 - World War II
What was going on in the Levante during the War?
The region remained under palestinian control.
How did the Arab populations respond to Nazism?
There was no unified Arab opinion, some palestinians supported the actions Germans took against the Jews.
Why did they respond in such a fashion?
The Palestinians were resentful that Jews immigrated to and occupied land within their country.
Describe the situation around Jewish Immigration to Palestine during the Second World War
It was almost entirely halted legally. Many snuck into the region. The Jews were left without any way to escape german terror
Explain why the various powers acted in the way they did
The British blocked most immigration of Jewish refugees to maintain the white paper quota while many Jews immigrated illegally to escape the Nazis.
Explain the considerable impact the Holocaust had on the region
The Holocaust was inarguably the primary force drving Jews to establish their home in Israel. After feeling a lack of security for centuries and eventually murdered on a massive scale, their need to create a homeland was dire and the motivation of Jewish refugees to immigrate to the region following the second world war.
September 1937 - United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
Why was this organization formed?
The British gave the newly created UN control of palestine. The main goal was to solve conflict in the region.
What were they tasked with doing?
Investigating the region and consequently making recommendations as to solving the issues in Palestine.
What conclusions did they arrive at?
The area would be partitioned into an Arab and Jewish state.
How did the Arabs and the Jews respond to these conclusions?
Jews were largely satisfied with the conclusion as they were granted a Jewish state. On the other hands, Palestinians largely believed it did not follow the self-determination principle and were ready to fight to keep their land.
Looking back from the 20/20 lens of history, what would you have done differently?
Ideally, I would have allocated the Jews a different homeland . The region is ridden with conflict to this day and I believe the Jews could have settled in a far less populous and volatile region. However, I believe the notion that the area is special is, to be frank, silly and therefore am unable to truly comprehend the value held with it. Moreover, I am unable to clam definitively that a different area for the Jews would have resulted in less conflict but I do believe that the Jewish people deserved and still do deserve to have their own state.
What was the situation with the Levante prior to the First World War?
The region was apart of the Ottoman empire.
Who controlled the Levante
The British and French gained control during the latter part of WW1.
How did they get this control
British mandate gave Britain control from LON.
How did the Treaty of Versailles impact who controlled the region
Allocated the previously Ottoman region to the British.
November 1917 - The Balfour Declaration
What was the declaration?
Lord Balfour sent a public letter to Lord Rothschild stating British intended to establish a jewish homeland in Palestine.
What were the reasons for the declaration?
Good PR for Britain to be favourable to Zionists.
What were Responses to the declaration from Jews, Arabs and British Public? Why did each group respond the way they did?
Jews viewed it positively and began immigrating to the region on a relatively small scale. Arabs believed it was unfair considering they had occupied the region for thousands of years and the British grew increasingly dissatisfied with the Zionist movement in palestine as it was an unpopular policy therefore complicated to impose.
May, 1916 - The Sykes-Picot Agreement
What was the agreement?
Secret agreement between triple entente during ww1 dividing rule of Ottoman territory.
Why was the agreement signed?
To divide control of the middle east after ww1 and define the boundaries of each sphere of influence.
Who does this benefit?
The British and French as each gain significant territory.
What impact does this have on Palestine or Israel?
Enflames tension as under SP agreement British and French gain control of land that has been promised to multiple other parties.
July 1937 - The Peel Commission
What were the recommendations of the Peel agreement?
That Palestine be divided into 3 states: Arab, Jewish and Neutral territories.
Were they enacted as proposed? What prevented this?
No. Arabs disapproved of the conclusion it had teached and the British claimed an Arab state would be difficult to run.
How did the Palestinians and Jews respond to this idea? Explain the reasons for their response
Palestinians believed the British were going back on their promise and thought they had full rights to the land and were unhappy with a multiple state solution. Some Jews favoured the commission as they would get a state while others believed the deserved the entirety of the region.
Do you think the Palestinians or Jews would respond the same way today? Who would change their mind and why?
They would likely have switched opinions between the two. In modern palestine, the people are largely oppressed and have been uprooted from their homes therefore any more land allotted to them would be viewed positively. Although some palestinians believe the Jews don’t have any right to the land of Israel, the country is so strong now that no territory will ever be returned to palestinians. The Israeli PM does not support a two state solution and the Peel commission would be outrageous to current Israeli government as they continue to expand into palestinian territory.
1939 - White Paper
Why did Britain introduce this?
To essentially reject the Peel commission. It mandates the region be governed by Jews and Palestinians in proportion to it’s population. Moreover it implemented harsh restrictions on Jewish immigration to the region.
Who did it impact?
Jews who desperately needed to escape persecution in Europe.
How did the Jews respond?
Zionists were outraged and planned a rebellion however they never executed it.
1939 - 45 - World War II
What was going on in the Levante during the War?
The region remained under palestinian control.
How did the Arab populations respond to Nazism?
There was no unified Arab opinion, some palestinians supported the actions Germans took against the Jews.
Why did they respond in such a fashion?
The Palestinians were resentful that Jews immigrated to and occupied land within their country.
Describe the situation around Jewish Immigration to Palestine during the Second World War
It was almost entirely halted legally. Many snuck into the region. The Jews were left without any way to escape german terror
Explain why the various powers acted in the way they did
The British blocked most immigration of Jewish refugees to maintain the white paper quota while many Jews immigrated illegally to escape the Nazis.
Explain the considerable impact the Holocaust had on the region
The Holocaust was inarguably the primary force drving Jews to establish their home in Israel. After feeling a lack of security for centuries and eventually murdered on a massive scale, their need to create a homeland was dire and the motivation of Jewish refugees to immigrate to the region following the second world war.
September 1937 - United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
Why was this organization formed?
The British gave the newly created UN control of palestine. The main goal was to solve conflict in the region.
What were they tasked with doing?
Investigating the region and consequently making recommendations as to solving the issues in Palestine.
What conclusions did they arrive at?
The area would be partitioned into an Arab and Jewish state.
How did the Arabs and the Jews respond to these conclusions?
Jews were largely satisfied with the conclusion as they were granted a Jewish state. On the other hands, Palestinians largely believed it did not follow the self-determination principle and were ready to fight to keep their land.
Looking back from the 20/20 lens of history, what would you have done differently?
Ideally, I would have allocated the Jews a different homeland . The region is ridden with conflict to this day and I believe the Jews could have settled in a far less populous and volatile region. However, I believe the notion that the area is special is, to be frank, silly and therefore am unable to truly comprehend the value held with it. Moreover, I am unable to clam definitively that a different area for the Jews would have resulted in less conflict but I do believe that the Jewish people deserved and still do deserve to have their own state.