Palestine-Israel from 1918 to 1948 - British as trustee and 1948-1982 - YJ Draiman -

Palestine-Israel from 1918 to 1948 British as Trustee and 1948-1982

Palestine is the name (first referred to by the Ancient Greeks and the Romans named The Land of Israel Palestina) of an area in the Middle East situated from east of the Jordan River and west to the Mediterranean Sea. Palestine was occupied and absorbed into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 and remained under the rule of the Turks until World War One. Towards the end of this war, the Turks were defeated by the Allied armies and the British forces led by General Allenby.

In the peace talks that followed at the end of the war, parts of the Ottoman Empire were handed over to the Arabs and to the French to control and parts were handed over to the British – including Palestine. Britain governed this area under a League of Nations mandate from 1920 to 1948 as trustee to reconstitute The National Home of The Jewish people in their historical land, as stated in the Balfour Declaration. The Arab population who lived there were mostly nomads and many came over from neighboring Arab countries to benefit from the growing economy the Jews were building. The Arabs were promised and received territory excluding Palestine which totaled over 13 million square kilometer. Some of the Arabs supported the Allied and some supported the Turks in fighting against the British and the Allies. The Jewish Brigade in the British Army fought along side the English troops. The Arabs who fought with the British had been promised some territory by the Allies for those who helped in defeating the Turks by the–McMahon Agreement though the British claimed the agreement gave no such promise. McMahon signed an affidavit to that affect, that no such promise was made. The Arabs received most of the Middle East with a wealth of oil reserves.

The area of land of Palestine had been promised to the Jews (as had been stated) in the Balfour Declaration which was incorporated in 1920 San Remo as international law and confirmed by Article 95 in the treaty of Sevres in August 1920. 

In the mid 1800's many Jews migrated to the area of Palestine and started developing the arid desolate land. The Arabs took advantage in the growing economy and this influx created more numerous Arabs there. 

There was also an agreement signed by King Faisal and Chaim Weizmann in January 1919 stating that Palestine is for the Jewish people. At this time, the area was ruled by the British as trustee for reconstituting the National Home of the Jewish people in Palestine with no restrictions, and both Arabs and Jews appeared to live together in some form of harmony in the sense that both tolerated then existence of the other. There were major problems and Arab riots in 1921 that killed and injured many Jews, but between that year and 1928/29, the situation was tense and at the urging of the Mufti of Jerusalem there were consistent attack by the Arabs .

The main problem after the war for Palestine was the perceived beliefs as to the understanding their share of the Ottoman conquered territory. It is known that some Arabs had joined the Allies to fight the Turks during the war and convinced themselves that they were due to be given what they wanted as their own land once the war was over. The Arabs were not satisfied with the vast territory and oil wealth they received excluding Palestine.

In 1922 the British in violation of international agreements, partitioned Palestine taking away from the territory allocated to the Jewish people and gave over 77% of the territory to the Arabs, which was all the territory east of the Jordan River as the new Arab State of Transjordan, now Jordan.

Clashing with this Arab desire was that among all Jews the Balfour Declaration had promised them their historical territory of Palestine consented by the Allies and other nations (England, U.S., France, Italy, The Vatican, Japan, China and Russia).

In August 1929, the Mufti of Jerusalem incited the Arabs against the Jews and relations between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine broke down. The focal point of this discontent was supposed to be Jerusalem, but it was more that that, it was economics, the Arabs wanted what the Jews developed.

The primary cause of trouble was the Arabs wanted what the Jews had economically and the massive increased influx of Arabs from neighboring Arab countries while the British turning a blind eye. Due to the number of Jews who had emigrated to Palestine. The number of Jews in the region had doubled in ten years, and the number of Arabs tripled.

The city of Jerusalem also had major religious significance for both Arabs, Christians and Jews and over 200 deaths occurred in just four days in August (23rd to the 26th, 1929). In Hebron the Arabs went on a rampage and slaughtered the Jews, men, women and child, cutting their throats with barbaric venom. 

Arab nationalism was whipped up to a crescendo by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haji Amin al-Husseini. In order  to substantiate his incitement. The Mufti claimed that the number of Jews threatened the very lifestyle of the Arabs in Palestine. Instead of realizing and admiring that it is the Jews who improved economic conditions which brought more Arabs into the country.

The Arab violence that occurred in August 1929 did not deter Jews from going to Palestine their historical homeland. In 1931, 4,075 Jews emigrated to the region. In 1935, it was 61,854. The Mufti estimated that by the 1940’s there would be more Jews in Palestine than Arabs and that their power and influence in the area would be extinguished on a simple numerical basis. Not withstanding his incitement against the Jews. The Mufti of Jerusalem and his family sold land to the Jews at exorbitant prices.

In May 1936, more Arab violence occurred, the Arabs attacked the British and the British had to bring more forces to restore law and order using the military. Thirty four soldiers were killed in the process. The violence did not stop. In fact, it became worse after November 1937. The British went ahead and destroyed thousands of Arab terrorists homes and leveled villages, killed many by a firing squad.

For the Arabs there were two enemies – the Jews and the British authorities based in Palestine via their League mandate. All the while ignoring the other Mandates that granted the Arabs 22 countries on over 13 million square kilometers of land with a wealth of oil reserves plus Jordan which is over three quarters of Palestine.

For the Jews there were also two enemies – the radical Arabs and the British who violated the terms of the Mandate and blocking Jewish refuge, thus, causing millions of Jews to be exterminated by the Nazis.

Due to the increasing hostilities. The British were pushed into the middle of a conflict, they favored the Arabs but had seemingly little control over the situation as the two other sides involved were so driven by their own beliefs with the radical Arabs barbaric behavior and lust for blood. In an effort to end the violence, the British to appease the Arabs violated their duty and put a quota on the number of Jews who could enter Palestine in any one year. They hoped to appease the Arabs in the region (to keep their control of the oil) but also keep on side with the Jews by recognizing that a nominal number Jews could enter Palestine – but in restricted numbers which obstructed Jews escaping Nazi concentration death camps. They failed on both counts. The Arabs are not satisfied with anything you give them.

Both the Jews to protect themselves and the barbaric radical Arabs continued to attack the British. The Arabs attacked because they believed that the British had failed to keep their word after 1918 the Arabs were not happy with over three quarters of Palestine east of The Jordan River and because they believed that the British were not keeping the quotas of incoming Jews agreed to as they did little to stop illegal landings into Palestine made by the Jews escaping Nazi death camps.  While thousands upon thousands of Arabs were coming into Palestine illegally on a continuous basis, with the British looking the other way.

The Jews attacked the British authorities in Palestine simply because of the quota which they knew was in violation of the Mandate terms among other gross violations, which was grossly inhumane and unfair; the British blocks Jews from escaping German death camps and entering Palestine. The British had also in violation of Mandate terms imposed restrictions on the amount of land Jews could buy in Palestine (which violated belatedly the terms of the Mandate).

An uneasy truce with some violence occurred during the war when hostilities seemed to peter down. The Mufti of Jerusalem joined Hitler and was responsible for the death of over 20,000 Jews in Sarajevo This limited violence, however, was only temporary.

Many Jews had fought for the Allies valiantly during World War Two and had developed some of their military skills as a result. After the war ended in 1945, these limited skills were used in acts of defense for the freedom fighters of the Jews (JFF). The new Labour Government of Britain had given the Jews hope that they would be given more of their legally deserved rights in the area. Also in the aftermath of the Holocaust in Europe, many throughout the world guilt ridden were sympathetic to the plight of the Jews at the time which was part of the Mandate terms, the Arabs benefited by these economic developments in Palestine. The British stopped Ships with Jews escaping the Holocaust and either sent them back or put them in a concentration camps in Cyprus. To add to the British objection to Jewish immigration, after the war they sent their agents to blow-up Jewish refugee Ships bound for Palestine under "Operation Embarrass".

However, neither group got what they were looking for. The British still controlled Palestine with an iron hand. As a result, the Jews used military tactics to push their claim for the area. Groups such as the Stern Freedom Fighters and Irgun Zvai Leumi attacked the British that culminated in the destruction of the British military headquarters in Palestine – the King David Hotel. Seemingly unable to influence events in Palestine, the British looked for a way out and abandoned their responsibility.

In 1947, the newly formed United Nations accepted the idea to partition Palestine (which violated the terms of the Mandate) into a zone for the Jews (Israel) and a zone for the Arabs (Palestine). With this United Nations proposal (which was non-binding and no legal standing), the British withdrew from the region on May 14th 1948. Almost immediately, Israel was attacked by 6 Arab nations that surrounded it and the local Arab militia (which asked the local Arabs to vacate the area while they eliminate the Jews) in a war that lasted from May 1948 to January 1949. Arab-Palestinians refused to recognize Israel and it became the turn of the Israeli government itself to suffer from Arab terrorist attacks when Fadayeen (barbarian fanatics) from the Arab-Palestinians community attacked Israel. Such attacks later became more organized with the creation of the Arab Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). To the Arab Palestinians, who state the area the Jews call Israel, will always be Arab Palestine. To the Jews it is Israel. There have been very few years of peace in the region since 1948.

In 1956 Egypt nationalized and took over the Suez Canal and imposed a blockade. The British and the French who financed and controlled the Suez Canal were livid. Israel was appalled at the blockage. They took the initiative and sent its forces across the Sinai to stop the blockade, joined by Britain and France.

In 1967 the surrounding Arab countries made a pact and gathered its forces to attack Israel. Egypt implemented a blockade in violation of international agreements and expelled the U.N. peacekeeping forces; bringing its forces against the Israeli communities and its defense forces.

After numerous attempts by the U.N. and world nations to resolve the war atmosphere. On June 5, 1967 early in the morning Israel Air Force demolished the Egyptian and Syrian Air Force and proceeded to push the hostile Arab Armies of Egypt all the way to the Suez Canal and Syria pat the Golan Height which overlooks Israeli communities.

The Jordanians were shelling Israeli positions in Jerusalem and from the West Bank onto Israeli communities. Israel through third parties pleaded with King Hussein of Jordan to stop the shelling and Israel will not respond. Jordan felt that they must continue shelling and attack Israeli positions. Israel responded with with air and ground forces and liberated the old City of Jerusalem and its surroundings; additionally liberating all of the West Bank up to the Jordan River, which is the Jewish State territory under international agreements, which included Jordan. 

The Arabs felt humiliated this was the third war against Israel that they lost. In 1973 in a surprise attack on Yom Kippur the holiest of Jewish holidays the forces of Egypt and Syria advanced on Israeli positions. It took some time, Israel called up its reserves and responded with force and determination, knowing a loss would be the end of Israel and its people. Within two weeks Israeli forces were within 30 miles of Cairo and Damascus. The Arabs ran immediately to the U.N. and other world nations to demand a cease fire. Between 1948 and 1967 Israels defense forces have taken over the Sinai 3 times.

The Arabs continued with terrorist activities against Israel and Israel responded with military actions to counter those terrorist attacks.

Egypt President Anwar Sadat decided he could not defeat Israel and he wanted the Sinai with its new airfields and oil wells. 
Sadat took a daring step in negotiating a peace treaty with Israel and personally flew into Israel and presented a speech to the Knesset - The Israels Parliament. 

The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was signed in a ceremony at the White House on March 26, 1979, and the three leaders—Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin—joined hands and shared big smiles.
The Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in stages beginning in 1979 as part of the Israel–Egypt Peace Treaty. As required by the treaty, Israel had to evacuate Israeli military installations and civilian settlements before establishing normal and friendly relations[20]. Israel dismantled eighteen settlements, two air force bases, a naval base, and other installations by 1982, including the only oil resources under Israeli control. The evacuation of the civilian population, which took place in 1982.

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