Homelands Conflict in the Middle East Part 3

Homelands: Conflict in the Middle East Part 3 of 3

Focus Questions: How was the British Mandate a ‘poisoned chalice’? What was the reaction to Jewish immigration to Palestine?

1917 -1947 “The Mandate Years” • After WWI, the area had become the British mandate of Palestine. • When Jewish immigration accelerated, friction was created between Jews and Palestinian Arabs • After 1945, Zionists and Palestinian Arabs wanted individual nations and both felt they had claim to Palestine. • Britain withdrew in 1947 and the U. N. proposed that the country be partitioned 50/50

Post war British Mandate • 1919 League of Nations gives Britain mandate over Palestine • Britain had authority over Palestine until the region was ready for self-government • Some said that Britain was given a “poisoned chalice” • What might this mean?

Kibbutz קבוץ , קיבוץ • 1920’s and 30’s socialist Kibbutzim movement • New cities such as Tel Aviv developed next to Arab Jaffa. • Arab tenant farmers were often evicted from land bought by Zionists from absentee Arab landlords.

Kibbutz Population Year No. of kibbutzim Kibbutz Population 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1 12 29 82 214 229 255 270 805 3, 900 26, 550 67, 550 77, 950 85, 100 111, 200 125, 100 2000 268 117, 300 Organization Making the Desert Bloom

Defense/Offence • Jewish defense group – the Haganah • radicals created Irgun and the Stern Gang. • Jewish % rose from 20% to 30% in 3 years 1933 -36 • Arab guerrilla groups attacked railways, Jewish settlements, destroyed orchards etc

Jewish Immigration to Palestine • • • Why do you think immigration increased so dramatically in 1941? Why are the British in a difficult position? Much of the immigration to Palestine was illegal. • There were Arab riots and attacks on Jews. • What should the British do? What are their options? Population of Palestine by religions[15] Year Muslims Jews Christians Others 1922 486, 177 83, 790 71, 464 7, 617 1931 493, 147 174, 606 88, 907 10, 101 1941 906, 551 474, 102 125, 413 12, 881 1946 1, 076, 783 608, 225 145, 063 15, 488

Why does immigration cause conflict and tension in some societies?

Why are Jews emigrating?

1936 German children’s book

Illustration from a children's book. The headlines say "Jews are our misfortune" and "How the Jew cheats. " Germany, 1936.

“The bride is beautiful but she’s married to another man” • Watch Part 1 BBC Documentary - The Birth of Israel • Explain what is meant by the quote above • What did some of the early Zionists warn the conference after visiting Palestine? • Other Zionists argued that Arabs would be glad to see them – why?

Illegal Jewish Immigration • The US and many European powers tried to slow the flow of Jewish immigration to Palestine. • 1939 British threatened to cut immigration to 25, 000 a year • Haganah established an intelligence arm – Mossad – to help illegal immigrants

Jewish ‘Terrorism’ / ‘Freedom Fighters’ Stern gang argued the British were like Nazis and terrorism was justifiable in order to expel them. One member was future Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir. Irgun leader – Menachem Begin, also a future PM. Shamir ordered the killing of Lord Moyne, a close friend of Churchill in Cairo 1944.