Why Did The British Empire Allow For Israel To Be Created In 1948?
Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil war, Syrian refugees began pouring into Europe to escape the fighting. This quickly became a polarizing issue between European who reject the refugees and humanitarians who seek to help the refugees. In 1947, similar concerns of illegal immigration were happening in British-controlled Palestine. European Jewish refugees were illegally leaving Europe to settle in Palestine, despite concerns from the British government of the rise in tension with the native Arab population. Clearly, the British Empire regarded this as part of their interest despite the consequences that it could have on the region. Why did the British Empire allow for Israel to be created in 1948? To answer this question, the British Empire’s rationale at the time must be understood. The creation of Israel in 1948 was an effort by the British Empire
…show more content…
to maintain their control in the Middle East after the Second World War. This is made clear by identifying British interests in the Middle East following the First World War, the obstacles they faced that prevented them from achieving those interests, and how the creation of Israel was a result of being unable to achieve those goals. The focus of this paper will be from the creation of mandatory Palestine in 1923 until the creation of Israel in 1948. This will be argued specifically through British involvement in Palestine.
To understand how the transition of a British mandate into an independent country took place, the motives and interest of the British in the region must first be understood.
British seized control of Palestine along with Iraq and Jordan after the First World War as part of the Sykes-Picot agreement with France in 1916. Palestine was under ottoman control before the British acquired it from them. Palestine, along with the other Arab states served as a potential ally for the British to help win the war. This was also part of the broader British geopolitical interest in the Middle East. There was the fear of another potentially powerful empire or united pan-Arab front that could replace the Ottoman Empire. That was a security concern and an obstacle to their other territories in Asia, especially in India. Additionally, control of Palestine would expand the British sphere of influence in order to reach oil in Iran and have easy access through mandatory Iraq (also under British control). Thus, having control over Palestine and other Arab state would provide easy access to and from India with Palestine being a
port.
The British Empire’s interests in Palestine were faced with several obstacles that prevented them from having a strong foothold in the region. These factors would become part of the motivation to create Israel. By the end of the First World War the British Empire was experiencing an economic recessions and severe loss in military personnel. They, like other colonial powers lost credibility amongst the peoples whom they had colonized as a result of the war. They no longer had the man-power or resources to invest in their territories. This would be further exacerbated after the Second World War during which they needed to rely on the United States for economic support. Controlling their territories, even though mandates became difficult. Additionally, the British and French lost credibility and trust with the native Arabs as a result of the Sykes-Picot agreement. This was due to the contradiction that was created following the Hussein-McMahon correspondence just a year earlier. As part of the agreement, the Arabs would support the British in toppling the Ottoman Empire and in return, would have independence. Instead, they became subjugated by the British, French, and Russian empires as part of the Sykes-Picot agreement. The British knew that their influence in the Middle East was heavily diminished as a result. In order to find a solution, they would need to support a group that would be loyal to them and have a mutual interest in the region.
At the time in Europe, the Zionist movement was able to lobby itself in the British government at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Zionist movement is a political movement founded in 1897 with the goal to establish and maintain a Jewish nation state. It spawned from the treatment of Jews in Europe through the nineteenth century. During a time when national identities that included specific languages, cultures, ethnic groups, and religions became vital components of the nation state. During that time, European Jews sought to have their own nation that included those components specific to them. By the time Zionism was founded, the concept of having an exclusively Jewish nation state in Europe was unlikely. Even more so, by the end of the First World War when concept of nationalism became much more established. The opportunity came through the mutual interest between the Zionists and the British Empire. The Zionist wanted a new territory outside of Europe to create a nation state, and the British wanted to continue control of its territories. Originally, the Zionist proposed to set up a Jewish state in Uganda in 1903 as described in the Uganda Scheme. However they did not receive the support they needed from the British government to execute it. Once the British Empire’s geopolitical interest changed by the end of the First World War, they saw that the Zionist movement could benefit their interest in Palestine. The Zionist movement gained the support of the British government through the Belfour declaration in 1917. The declaration stated the British government’s favor for the “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”
The British intended to establish a Jewish nation in Palestine as a means to maintain control of the region. The Zionist understood that “British colonizing methods are based upon the notion of giving free scope to the peoples under British protection.” The Belfour declaration was seen as the approval by the British government for them to enter Palestine. As stated by Edward Said: “Palestine was seen by early Zionists as an empty desert waiting to burst into bloom; such inhabitants as it had were supposed to be inconsequential nomads possessing no real claim on the land and therefore no cultural or national reality.”
This perception of the Palestinians amongst the Zionist created a difference in understanding with the British who were already dealing with tensions in the region. This did little to hinder progress since the support for the Jewish immigration was reinforced by appointing Herbert Samuel, a Zionist cabinet minister, as the first high commissioner for Palestine on July 1, 1920. Over the next two decades, several factors would complicate Britain’s ability to keep its grasp over Palestine. During the 1930s, the Palestinians unexpectedly revolted against British control. The peak in tensions was during the Arab revolts in 1936 that were suppressed by the British. This was as a result of the resentment and distrust in the British following the Sykes-Picot agreement and the growing number of European Jews entering the country through British support. This would be further complicated by the Second World War and the Holocaust, which caused a mass exodus of illegal Jewish immigrants entering Palestine throughout the 1930s and into the early 1940s. The allied nations would understandably advocate to support the European Jews as a result of the atrocities during the Holocaust. By then, the British were ill-equipped and struggled to finance their control over Palestine. Likewise, preventing Jews from illegally entering Palestine was difficult justify following the Holocaust. This caused them to propose the White Paper in 1939 as a means to regulate the number of Jews entering the country and give control to the majority Arab Palestinians. The plan was rejected by both sides and created the Jewish insurgency in Palestine with the goal to create an independent Jewish nation. This raised concerns of the likely increase in tensions between the Palestinians and the Jews entering the country, which would hinder their control. Additionally, the British were aware of how unfavorably the neighboring Arab states saw the issue, but were reluctant to take action
By then, the British assessed that the European Jews would continue to enter Palestine by the millions. They were unwilling to prevent it and accepted that it was within their interest to support them entering. The Zionist in Britain committed to organizing it as an independent nation and there was little Britain could do to stop it. This was despite the illegal military operations and lack of cooperation with the Palestinians. However, the ethnic and cultural similarities between the European Jews and the British made it less of threat for the British and more of a guarantee for a potential ally. This was vital to continue their policy in the region by relying on a country, like Israel, that shared similar Europe values as the British and would be willing to cooperate with them. Especially, since they lost all support and trust with the Arabs
Although the outcome for the creation of Israel was not as the British intended, they established a guaranteed foothold on the Middle East. Thus, they could still exercise the influence of western states through Israel. Although Israel is independent, they hold close ties to European governments and share similar political interest in the region. The impact of this continued European involvement in the Middle East was seen as a further attempts of colonization through the western supported Israel. This caused further extremism in the region through Arab nationalism and later through religious extremism. Both of which were initially motivated and founded on the goal to remove Israel from Palestine. The effects of the British imperial efforts in Palestine that created Israel created a series of repercussions that are still relevant in the present. This is particularly important when attempting to understand the motivations and justifications of different actors in Middle Eastern conflicts and affairs over the last hundred years.
to maintain their control in the Middle East after the Second World War. This is made clear by identifying British interests in the Middle East following the First World War, the obstacles they faced that prevented them from achieving those interests, and how the creation of Israel was a result of being unable to achieve those goals. The focus of this paper will be from the creation of mandatory Palestine in 1923 until the creation of Israel in 1948. This will be argued specifically through British involvement in Palestine.
To understand how the transition of a British mandate into an independent country took place, the motives and interest of the British in the region must first be understood.
British seized control of Palestine along with Iraq and Jordan after the First World War as part of the Sykes-Picot agreement with France in 1916. Palestine was under ottoman control before the British acquired it from them. Palestine, along with the other Arab states served as a potential ally for the British to help win the war. This was also part of the broader British geopolitical interest in the Middle East. There was the fear of another potentially powerful empire or united pan-Arab front that could replace the Ottoman Empire. That was a security concern and an obstacle to their other territories in Asia, especially in India. Additionally, control of Palestine would expand the British sphere of influence in order to reach oil in Iran and have easy access through mandatory Iraq (also under British control). Thus, having control over Palestine and other Arab state would provide easy access to and from India with Palestine being a
port.
The British Empire’s interests in Palestine were faced with several obstacles that prevented them from having a strong foothold in the region. These factors would become part of the motivation to create Israel. By the end of the First World War the British Empire was experiencing an economic recessions and severe loss in military personnel. They, like other colonial powers lost credibility amongst the peoples whom they had colonized as a result of the war. They no longer had the man-power or resources to invest in their territories. This would be further exacerbated after the Second World War during which they needed to rely on the United States for economic support. Controlling their territories, even though mandates became difficult. Additionally, the British and French lost credibility and trust with the native Arabs as a result of the Sykes-Picot agreement. This was due to the contradiction that was created following the Hussein-McMahon correspondence just a year earlier. As part of the agreement, the Arabs would support the British in toppling the Ottoman Empire and in return, would have independence. Instead, they became subjugated by the British, French, and Russian empires as part of the Sykes-Picot agreement. The British knew that their influence in the Middle East was heavily diminished as a result. In order to find a solution, they would need to support a group that would be loyal to them and have a mutual interest in the region.
At the time in Europe, the Zionist movement was able to lobby itself in the British government at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Zionist movement is a political movement founded in 1897 with the goal to establish and maintain a Jewish nation state. It spawned from the treatment of Jews in Europe through the nineteenth century. During a time when national identities that included specific languages, cultures, ethnic groups, and religions became vital components of the nation state. During that time, European Jews sought to have their own nation that included those components specific to them. By the time Zionism was founded, the concept of having an exclusively Jewish nation state in Europe was unlikely. Even more so, by the end of the First World War when concept of nationalism became much more established. The opportunity came through the mutual interest between the Zionists and the British Empire. The Zionist wanted a new territory outside of Europe to create a nation state, and the British wanted to continue control of its territories. Originally, the Zionist proposed to set up a Jewish state in Uganda in 1903 as described in the Uganda Scheme. However they did not receive the support they needed from the British government to execute it. Once the British Empire’s geopolitical interest changed by the end of the First World War, they saw that the Zionist movement could benefit their interest in Palestine. The Zionist movement gained the support of the British government through the Belfour declaration in 1917. The declaration stated the British government’s favor for the “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”
The British intended to establish a Jewish nation in Palestine as a means to maintain control of the region. The Zionist understood that “British colonizing methods are based upon the notion of giving free scope to the peoples under British protection.” The Belfour declaration was seen as the approval by the British government for them to enter Palestine. As stated by Edward Said: “Palestine was seen by early Zionists as an empty desert waiting to burst into bloom; such inhabitants as it had were supposed to be inconsequential nomads possessing no real claim on the land and therefore no cultural or national reality.”
This perception of the Palestinians amongst the Zionist created a difference in understanding with the British who were already dealing with tensions in the region. This did little to hinder progress since the support for the Jewish immigration was reinforced by appointing Herbert Samuel, a Zionist cabinet minister, as the first high commissioner for Palestine on July 1, 1920. Over the next two decades, several factors would complicate Britain’s ability to keep its grasp over Palestine. During the 1930s, the Palestinians unexpectedly revolted against British control. The peak in tensions was during the Arab revolts in 1936 that were suppressed by the British. This was as a result of the resentment and distrust in the British following the Sykes-Picot agreement and the growing number of European Jews entering the country through British support. This would be further complicated by the Second World War and the Holocaust, which caused a mass exodus of illegal Jewish immigrants entering Palestine throughout the 1930s and into the early 1940s. The allied nations would understandably advocate to support the European Jews as a result of the atrocities during the Holocaust. By then, the British were ill-equipped and struggled to finance their control over Palestine. Likewise, preventing Jews from illegally entering Palestine was difficult justify following the Holocaust. This caused them to propose the White Paper in 1939 as a means to regulate the number of Jews entering the country and give control to the majority Arab Palestinians. The plan was rejected by both sides and created the Jewish insurgency in Palestine with the goal to create an independent Jewish nation. This raised concerns of the likely increase in tensions between the Palestinians and the Jews entering the country, which would hinder their control. Additionally, the British were aware of how unfavorably the neighboring Arab states saw the issue, but were reluctant to take action
By then, the British assessed that the European Jews would continue to enter Palestine by the millions. They were unwilling to prevent it and accepted that it was within their interest to support them entering. The Zionist in Britain committed to organizing it as an independent nation and there was little Britain could do to stop it. This was despite the illegal military operations and lack of cooperation with the Palestinians. However, the ethnic and cultural similarities between the European Jews and the British made it less of threat for the British and more of a guarantee for a potential ally. This was vital to continue their policy in the region by relying on a country, like Israel, that shared similar Europe values as the British and would be willing to cooperate with them. Especially, since they lost all support and trust with the Arabs
Although the outcome for the creation of Israel was not as the British intended, they established a guaranteed foothold on the Middle East. Thus, they could still exercise the influence of western states through Israel. Although Israel is independent, they hold close ties to European governments and share similar political interest in the region. The impact of this continued European involvement in the Middle East was seen as a further attempts of colonization through the western supported Israel. This caused further extremism in the region through Arab nationalism and later through religious extremism. Both of which were initially motivated and founded on the goal to remove Israel from Palestine. The effects of the British imperial efforts in Palestine that created Israel created a series of repercussions that are still relevant in the present. This is particularly important when attempting to understand the motivations and justifications of different actors in Middle Eastern conflicts and affairs over the last hundred years.