How World War 1 Lead To The Establishment Of Israel

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”Arthur James Balfour

Arthur James Balfour

It was made by an English foreigner who had no claim to Palestine, to a foreign Jew who had no right to it

Awni Abd al-Hadi

World War 1 Impact

The creation of Israel in the aftermath of World War 1 can directly be tied to the two main reasons, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which was a dominant force in the Middle East for centuries, and the Balfour declaration by Britain. These two events created an environment where Israel was able to be created as its own nation, but created tension between them and the Arab groups.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman empire after World War 1, its territories were divided up by the remaining world powers. These territories were divided through many different treaties following World War 1 and the decisions made by the countries were the cause of a great amount of tension with the Arabs. During the war, Britain and France made many promises to the Arabs, where they asked for their help in World War 1, and in return they would give them full independence over the land. However, after filling their side of the deal, the Arabs did not receive total power of the land. Instead Palestine, a region of historic significance to both Jews and Arabs, came under British control following the war, while Syria and Lebanon was given to France.(https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire/Classical-Ottoman-society-and-administration)

Amidst this struggle for land, the British government also gave the Balfour Declaration, in which they signaled explicit support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, marking the first major endorsement of the Zionist goal. This declaration sparked a giant wave of Jewish immigration into Palestine, with the hope of establishing a homeland. However, this declaration also contradicted the promises made to Arab leaders igniting the tension between the two groups that would later build into conflict.(https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/balfour-declaration)

Overall, the Arab and Israeli war can be traced back to early World War 1 events, specifically how these two groups were treated post war. The collapse of the Ottoman empire, the way the land was split, and the Balfour declaration all created the long standing tension between Arab groups and Jews. All of these events received backlash from the Arab groups that were promised so much, but were instead met with the Balfour Declaration which left many people angered, such as Palestinian political figure Awni Abd al-Hadi who said that “it was made by an English foreigner who had no claim to Palestine, to a foreign Jew who had no right to it”.