Consider the position of the British government on during the inter-war period. What were the consequences of the changing statements by the British government with respect to the emerging Arab-Israeli conflict?
The British betrayed the trust of the Arabs and, consequently, were put into a difficult position when the Arabs started fighting back. Before getting into the results, the preceding events will be analyzed. The McMahon-Hussein correspondence of 1915-6 was the first confirmed support for the Arabs. Sherif Hussein of Mecca believed that he had the support of the British because of the words exchanged. At the same time, Sir Mark Sykes, a member of the British Parliament, was having secret discussions with the French (more specifically, Charles François George-Picot) about the way the French and British would divide the land. The Arabs did not want the French in that land, as stated in the McMahon-Hussein correspondence, and the Sykes-Picot Agreement would divide the land with the French; either the French or the Arabs would be let down. The British would betray either the French or the Arabs. The French are allies of the British and the land the Arabs had was necessary for the control of India. We would not know who the British would betray until the Balfour Declaration was written in 1917. This document stated that the British would back the Jews and support a Jewish state as long as it did not “prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in other countries.” The Balfour Declaration was the first official document written on behalf of the government. By the time the Arabs understood that the British had betrayed them, they started attacking anyone and everyone. In 1920, The British allowed the Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund, to purchase land in the region of Palestine. In 1920 and 1921, Arab attacks became increasingly apparent. In 1936, Arab Rebellions started to break out. For the years 1936-1939, the Arab Rebellions targeted British forces and occasionally Jews. The Arabs used violence and non-violent rebellious techniques. At one point, the British had to bring in 20,000 troops to quell the Arabs, some of who were forced into the violence.
