World War I and Palestine: Britain’s Conflicting Promises

IAFS/JWST 3650

Announcements

• Ronit Avni, “My Neighborhood” discussion and screening, Mon, 18 Feb, 3-3:50pm

• RSVP: Meghan.Zibby @colorado.edu (space is limited)

Outline

• British interests in West Asia• Ottoman decline• Orientalism and Lawrence of Arabia• World War I• Conflicting British promises

British Interests in the Middle East

• Access to India– initially, overland passage to India–post-1869, a quicker route via the Suez

Canal

British Interests in the Middle East

• Protecting Suez Canal–1882 occupation of Egypt

• Oil–1908: oil discovered in Persia

Ottoman (Turkish) Empire

• Rising influence of Young Turks• 1915: Ottoman genocide of Armenians• Turkish alliance with Germany during

World War I

Edward Said’sTheory of Orientalism

• An academic field• A style of thought based on a distinction

between the Oriental and “us”• A Western style of rule over the Orient

Where is the “Orient”?

• In Orientalists’ heads• Originally, India and the Middle East• All of “Far East”—India, Japan, China, etc,

and the “Muslim world”

What are “Orientals” like (according to Orientalists)?

• Orientals:– Childlike– Irrational– Dishonest– Gullible yet

cunning– Lazy– Incapable of

order– Depraved

• vs. Orientalists:– Mature– Rational– Full of clarity– Direct– Noble

Said on Orientalism

• Based on accepted scholarly understanding

• Has less to do with the Orient than with the West

Critiques of Said

• Overly focused on Western views, rather than “Oriental” agency

• Overgeneralizations

Quickthink

• In what ways is Said’s work on orientalism relevant today?

Significance

• We must understand our own biases

• We must think about the language we use

TE Lawrence: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1885-1935)

• British intelligence agent during WWI• Active in Arab Revolt (1916-1918)• Pushed for Arab indepen- dence

King Faisaland advisors

(Lawrence 3rd from right)

TE Lawrence: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1885-1935)

• Seen as a hero in Britain• Fictionalized

autobiographical accounts, e.g. Seven Pillars of Wisdom

• Arabists’ influence

World War I

• 1916: Sykes-Picot Agreement

• 1916: Arab Revolt• 1920: Treaty of

Sevres and end of Ottoman Empire

Sykes-Picot Plan

World War I

• Britain’s other conflicting World War I promises:–1915: McMahon-Hussein

correspondence–1917: Balfour Declaration

McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (1915-1916)

• Henry McMahon, British High Commissioner to Egypt

• Sharif Hussein, protector of Mecca and Medina

• McMahon’s intentional vagueness

McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (1915-1916)

“The districts of Mersina and Alexandretta, and portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo, cannot be said to be purely Arab, and must on that account be excepted from the proposed limits and boundaries . . . . Subject to the above modifications, Great Britain is prepared to recognize and support the independence of the Arabs within the territories in the limits and boundaries proposed by the Sherif of Mecca.”

--McMahon to Hussein, 24 Oct. 1915

Ottoman Administrative

Districts

Based on maps in Cmd. 5957 (1939)

“portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo [must] be excepted “

Balfour Declaration (1917)

• Nov 1917• Arthur Balfour, British Foreign Secretary• Lord Rothschild, British Jewish leader

Balfour Declaration

(1917)

Balfour Declaration (1917)

Balfour Declaration (1917)

• British motivations–Short-term: Russian and US support

during WWI–Long-term: stable hold on Palestine

Conclusions

• British decisions made with focus on European impact, not repercussions for West Asia

• Despite intentional vagueness of Balfour Declaration and McMahon-Hussein correspondence, British promises not compatible