CSS Current Affairs | Britain’s Role in the Palestinian Occupation
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Outline
1- Introduction
2- Why were Britain and other religious entities interested in the Palestinian occupation?
3- Providing the timeline of the Britain’s role in the Palestinian occupation
- ✓Presenting Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916)
- Case in point: Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq – under British control, and Syria and Lebanon – under French control
- ✓Supporting the early settlements in Palestine
- Case in Point: Issuance of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 by the British government
- ✓Taking control of Palestine after World War I (1920-1935)
- Case in point: British Mandate of Palestine from the League of Nations
- ✓Introducing harsh schemes and proposals (1935-1945)
- Case in point: Peel Commission, Woodhead proposal, and White Paper proposal by Britain
- ✓Britain’s withdrawal from Palestine exacerbated conflicts (1946-1948)
- Case in point: A partition plan – UN Resolution 181 and Israel’s Declaration of Independence
4- Critical Analysis
5- Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
The holy landscape wanted by many but protected by none is the Promised Land, Palestine. The land has its own importance due to a number of factors, and the religious factor leads the list. Although in the Christian dictionary, the land holds a special status, they still helped Jews in taking control of it, for they wanted to get rid of them in their own lands. So, for this, Britain played a significant role as the government made and passed several acts, agreements, and declarations in accordance with their motive to purify their lands from the Jews. Enlisting the prominent agreements, it all started when Britain divided the Palestinian lands and took control of them under the Sykes-Picot Agreement. Following the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the British – officially – took control of Palestine by presenting a mandate right after WWI. Moreover, Britain’s Peel Commission is an eminent act taken by them as it handed over a major part of Palestine to the Jews, allowing them to live in the Palestinian part too, inflaming the situation even more. Plus, even if Britain withdrew in 1948, it left clearer roads for Israel to emerge as a sole state. To cap, the Palestinian’s subjugation by Israel is rooted in Britain’s era of controlling Palestine.
Why were Britain and other religious entities interested in the Palestinian occupation?
The holy land, Palestine – holds a special religious status for every religion. Muslims, Christians, and Jews consider it a sacred place based on their distinctive beliefs. To elaborate, for Muslims, it has the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque – the Qibla-e-Awwal – and for Christians, it is the cradle of Christianity. And for the Jews there had their Holy Temples; now they want to build their 3rd temple there. As far as the matter of why Britain was interested in the Palestinian occupation is concerned, apart from the religious factor, they helped Israel overpower and take control of most of the Palestinian land, for the Jews were settled in their lands, and they wanted to clear their lands from them. Briefly, Palestine is an important place for all religions.
Providing the timeline of the Britain’s role in the Palestinian occupation
Now, jumping towards the role of Britain in the Palestinian occupation, it played an important role in shaping the historical landscape of Palestine and exacerbating the Israel-Palestine conflict to this day.
- Presenting Sykes-Picot Agreement
During World War I, in 1916, an agreement – the Sykes-Picot Agreement – was signed between Britain and France, with the consent of the Russian Empire. The agreement was based on the division of the Middle East into multiple zones to create influence. Under this agreement, Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq were under the direct control of the British; France took over the control of Syria and Lebanon. Further, this agreement remained effective till the end of WWI. It has contributed to instability, unrest, and conflicts that are still present in the region. Long story short, the Sykes-Picot agreement explains the British role in the Palestinian occupation.
- Supporting the early settlements in Palestine
One step that clarifies Britain’s role in the historical Palestinian occupation is the issuance of a Declaration by the British government, the Balfour Declaration, in 1917. The Declaration proved to be the fundamental factor in providing the ground for the establishment of Israel as a state, followed by the occupation of Palestinian land. It is also considered the bone of contention between Palestinians and Israel. It also clears the British involvement, for through this Declaration, Britain expressed their support for the settlement of Jews and the establishment of their homeland in Palestine. In conclusion, the Balfour Declaration is another step towards Palestinian occupation.
- Taking control of Palestine after World War I (1920-1935)
Starting from 1917, the British assumed control of Palestine following the end of WWI and the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. The British took control under the mandate of the League of Nations. During this period, the British implemented a number of policies favouring Jewish settlement and immigration to Palestine. Like, in 1920, they started giving lands to Jews and urged them to settle there. After that, in 1922, the Britishers formalized their rule in Palestine, resulting in an increased number of uprisings, with riots from both sides. As Zionist settlement until this time heightened, the Palestinian resistance also increased. In summary, British control over Palestine marks another step on the road towards Palestinian occupation.
- Introducing harsh schemes and proposals (1935-1945)
1935 marked the era of a hike in revolts by Palestinians, and in return, the British started arresting and destroying the property of those Arabs who were revolting aimed at suppressing the revolt. Moreover, Britain’s Peel Commission issued a plan: give 1/3rd of Palestine to Jews and 2/3rd to Palestine. Jews can live in the Palestinian area as a minority; however, Palestinians have to migrate from the Jewish part of Palestine. Then, in 1938, a technical commission, the Woodhead proposal, proposed a comprehensive partition scheme for Palestine. Further, in 1939, the White Paper Proposal came, calling for the establishment of a Jewish national home in the Palestinian state, limiting them to 75000 initially. Shortly after, Britain left no room for Palestine to exist as an independent state.
- Britain’s withdrawal from Palestine exacerbated conflicts (1946-1948)
In 1946, several secret meetings were held between the Jews and Britain. Following this, the British proposed a Partition Plan and presented it to the United Nations (UN); the UN ratified it under UN Resolution 181. The plan was based on a two-state solution, with Jerusalem considered as an International city, which was refused by the Palestinians, and the British supported it by withdrawing from Palestine in 1948. After this, the condition worsened as Israel was declared a state by the UN, announcing the Universal Declaration of Independence in May 1948. Additionally, this step of Britain gave rise to subsequent events, such as the Arab-Israel War and the Nakba (Palestinian catastrophe), which are the outcomes of it. In short, Britain’s steps aggravated the Palestinian’s status and led to the occupation of Palestine by Israel.
Critical Analysis
The critical and meticulous analysis reveals that Britain does have a prominent role in the occupation of the Palestinian land as, at first, they introduced schemes and then directly took control. Nonetheless, the point is they actually did it not to make Palestine its subjugated colony but to throw the Jews out of their own lands. Further analysis provides an understanding that Britain’s role did not end after its withdrawal in 1948, but it actually sowed the seeds for the upcoming bigger wars and conflicts, for example, the Arab-Israel War. And it is even still prevailing in the form of more annexation and subjugation of Palestinians by Israel. To summarize, there is no wrong in saying that, directly or indirectly, Britain actually gave Palestinian land to Israel.
Conclusion
Winding up the debate, the issue of Palestine is complex and full of adversities. Each power in the world tried to suppress it, and Britain was the pioneer of all. Talking about Britain’s role in the Palestinian occupation, highlighting some of the prominent events is necessary. Starting from the 20th century, the Sykes-Picot Agreement sets the base for the power tussle in Palestine, emerging in the form of Arab-Israel conflicts and wars. Then, Britain had a great role in the settlements of the Jews in the Palestinian land, for they introduced laws and acts that favoured the Jews. All of this ended up in the partition of Palestinian land, and Israel emerged as an Independent state.
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