Negative Impact of British Policy on Zionist Reform Movement
IB Extended Essay
The Palestinian Powder-Keg: The Negative Impact of British Policy on Zionist Reform Movements in Palestine, 1917-1948
Abstract
In the modern world, many contemporary historians view the conflict between the Arabs and Jews in Israel to be revolved around a theological clash; the classic battle between the hedonistic Muslim and the infidel Jew. Many people also think that the British provided the Jews their independence. However, both statements are highly erroneous. Theoretically both peoples could live together under one government. The conflict lies in that Britain used the mandate of Palestine for their own political and economic gains, resulting in Arab distrust of Western civilization and the peoples of the nation turning on one another . Upon analyzing both the Zionist and Palestinian opinions on the interfering British from 1917-1948, it became clear that the conflict stemmed from the nationalism of both groups, yet wanted their states to be on the exact same tracts of land. The debate on the causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict is one that may never be resolved; however, it plays a vital role in the foreign policies of many nations as well as the attitudes toward the groups involved.
When one looks at the treaties signed and the international agreements of the period, they can clearly see that the British did not keep their word to both the Zionists and the indigenous Palestinians. A movement known as Pan-Arabism developed, which became known as the ‘Islamic Renaissance’. The philosophical treatises of the time show that the Arabs were angered by outside interference. Secondary histories cannot relay effectively the opinions of the various groups, therefore they only provide concrete facts.
In conclusion, the British used Palestine merely for its own benefit. If they would have opted for Zionist independence, as the Balfour Declaration stated, Israel would have become independent years earlier and there would not be as drastic of a conflict as there is today.
Table of Contents
The Palestinian Powder-Keg: The Negative Impact of British Policy on Zionist Reform Movements in Palestine, 1917-1948
Abstract i
Table of Contents ii
The Palestinian Powder-Keg: The Negative Impact of British Policy on Zionist Reform Movements in Palestine, 1917-1948 1-13
Appendix A: UNISCOP Partition Plan of Palestine, 31 August 1947 14
Works Consulted 15-16
Since the beginning of the Common Era, the Jewish people have been without a peaceful national homeland. The Roman general Titus sacked the Temple of Jerusalem and conquered the...