Early 20th Century Origins; WWI Promises and Agreements; British Mandate & Nationalist Movements; Post-WWII Developments & Partition; The 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Roots of Middle East Conflict

Roots of Middle East Conflict

Understanding the historical origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Agenda

• Early 20th Century Origins

• WWI Promises and Agreements

• British Mandate & Nationalist Movements

• Post-WWII Developments & Partition

• The 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Roots of Conflict

The Arab-Israeli conflict's origins lie in the early 20th century, fueled by competing nationalist aspirations. Zionism, advocating for a Jewish homeland, and Arab nationalism, seeking self-determination, both laid claim to the same territory. Conflicting promises made by external powers, such as Britain, further complicated these deep-seated tensions.

1923 map shows Palestine and Trans-Jordan, setting stage for conflict.

WWI &amp; Regional Shifts

World War I led to the Ottoman Empire's collapse, creating a power vacuum. European powers, like Britain and France, quickly asserted influence, evidenced by the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement. This set the stage for new national aspirations and future conflicts in the Middle East.

McMahon-Hussein Letter (1915)

• British High Commissioner McMahon corresponded with Sharif Hussein.

• Britain pledged an independent Arab state.

• In exchange for Arab revolt against Ottomans.

• Territory included much of the Arabian Peninsula, Levant.

Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916)

The Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret accord negotiated in May 1916 by British and French diplomats Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, unilaterally divided the Ottoman Empire's Arab provinces into future spheres of influence and direct control. This clandestine pact directly contradicted earlier British assurances of Arab independence made to Sharif Hussein bin Ali in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence of 1915. Its revelation significantly fueled Arab distrust of Western powers, laying foundational grievances for future regional conflicts.

Promises to Arab Independence

Secret Territorial Divisions

During World War I, Britain, through Sir Henry McMahon, promised Sharif Hussein bin Ali an independent Arab state. This pledge, made in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (1915-1916), was in exchange for an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. It outlined a large Arab kingdom, encompassing much of present-day Syria, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula.

Concurrently, British diplomat Mark Sykes and French diplomat Georges Picot secretly negotiated the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916. This accord divided Ottoman territories into British and French spheres of influence and direct control, largely ignoring Arab aspirations. This clandestine plan directly contradicted the earlier British promises of Arab self-determination.

Balfour Declaration (1917)

In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour issued a declaration expressing support for establishing a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. This significant statement was made with the understanding that the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine would be safeguarded. The declaration's dual promise laid foundational complexities for the region's future.

Balfour Declaration: British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

British Mandate System

• League of Nations granted Britain Palestine mandate.

• San Remo Resolution 1920 incorporated Balfour Declaration.

• Britain tasked with Jewish national home creation.

• Managed rising Arab-Jewish tensions and immigration.

Arab &amp; Jewish Nationalism

By the early 20th century, both Arab and Jewish nationalist movements gained significant momentum. Arab nationalism, fueled by desires for self-determination against Ottoman and later European imperial rule, sought independent Arab states across the Middle East, including Palestine. Concurrently, the Zionist movement, founded by figures like Theodor Herzl in the late 19th century, advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, viewed as their ancestral land.

Roots of Middle East Conflict

Early 20th Century Origins; WWI Promises and Agreements; British Mandate & Nationalist Movements; Post-WWII Developments & Partition; The 1948 Arab-Israeli War

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