Zionism, Arabism & Colonialism in the Middle East | BETWEEN 2 WARS I 1936 Part 1 of 3 - YouTube (1)

Agreements made during the Great War drew arbitrary borders through the sands of the

Middle East without regard for ethnic or religious groups. Newly found oil reserves spark further

tensions as the Western occupants have even less incentive to let go off the region. Many

people of the Jewish faith move to Palestine, wishing to establish a new state there while

the Palestinians feel like their lands are being taken from them. By the 1930s, the middle

east has become a powder keg, ready to explode. The British and French rule the area with

brutal force, manipulative divide and conquer tactics, and neglect for the wishes of the

local populace. In 1936, it flares into a revolt across the Arab world.

Welcome to Between-2-Wars a chronological summary of the interwar years, covering all

facets of life, the uncertainty, hedonism, and euphoria, and ultimately humanity's

descent into the darkness of the Second World War. I'm Indy Neidell.

When we looked at the Middle East in our 1920 episode, we saw how the British and French

Sykes-Picot agreement carved up the middle east into mandates and protectorates. Many

communities were divided politically by the lines drawn on a map, whereas others were

forced to live together with their enemies.

More than a decade has passed since these new states were created, so you might expect

these states to have developed into stable or even independent countries, but that is

not so much the case. Some have tried to challenge the status quo, resulting in harsh measures

from the British and French occupiers wishing to preserve the status quo. To complicate

things, dozens of different groups, some militarist, some pacifist, are fighting to preserve or

overthrow that status quo.

Let's start with the struggles in the British Mandate. They include Egypt, Palestine, Transjordan

and Iraq. All of these were governed differently and posed unique challenges for the British.

Perhaps the most consequential decision taken in this area by the British is one that will

go on to dictate relations in the Middle East for the remainder of the 20th century and

is still resonating today in 2020. It is the decision to allow people of the Jewish faith

to establish their own state in Palestine. The idea of a ‘Jewish state in Palestine'

is nothing new, though. The First Zionist Congress was held back in 1897, when the region

was still under Ottoman control. That congress was chaired by Hungarian journalist Theodor

Herzl, who earlier published his pamphlet ‘Judenstaat' calling for a Jewish state.

At that time, though, Jews had no modern national identity. Herzl's wish to create one is

actually very similar to other ethnic groups in the 19th century who sought to establish

a national identity.

And what would help with creating a Jewish national identity? A Jewish State.

Herzl arranges talks with various leaders, including the Ottoman Sultan, but only the

British are receptive to the idea, causing them to propose a piece of land in Kenya.

For Herzl, this is great! I mean, they can now create a state, right? Well, no. See,

the majority of the fledgling Zionist movement will prefer Israel and the Sinai desert, their

religious homeland. So Herzl puts his ideas for a Jewish state on stand-by, and dies a

short while after in 1904.

The Great War changes everything. In 1917, British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour declares

that the British government ‘favors the establishment in Palestine of a National Home

for the Jewish people.' That declaration is way more in line with the Zionists wishes.

And it suits the British as well. The Balfour Declaration is very much a wartime tool meant

to benefit the British more so than the Zionists. The area is of strategic significance, and

the declaration hopes to rally the Jews in places like America and Germany to action..

In the 1920s, the British are now overseeing Palestine with their postwar Mandate. Without

much regard for Arab nationalism in Palestine, the British begin to allow Jewish people from

all over the world to move to Palestine. Between 1924 and 1929, 82,000 Jews arrives in Palestine.

The number rises to a quarter-million between 1929 and 1939, mainly because of the rise

of global antisemitism. But it was not just that. As with Jewish nationalism, the idea

of returning to the “homeland” is nothing new. Aliyahs - Jews moving to Palestine - had

been going on since the 1880s.

But the number of Jewish immigrants in the 1930s take everyone by surprise. Arabs in

Palestine are not forced out to make room, but at the same time, Jewish settlers are

not assigned specific areas in which to live. The Arabs have lived in the region for as

long as they can remember and feel threatened by what they perceive as invaders. The British

envision a bi-National state shared by both Arabs and Jews, but all they create is a hotbed

of tension between the increasingly hostile two populations. Nationalists on both sides

detest the British idea, both claiming Palestine as their rightful homeland, and as more

and more Jews settle in the area, a peaceful resolution becomes ever more distant. In August

1929 the conflict escalates, as a dispute over the Western Wall in Jerusalem causes

the Arab Riots known as the 1929 Massacres. In one week, 133 Jewish people are killed

and 200 more are wounded. As Jews retaliate, the British attempt to enforce order, causing

the death of 20 Jewish and 116 Arab civilians.

As chaos and anger spreads through Palestine, groups from both sides radicalize.

On the Palestinian side, the Black Hand is founded. It is an anti-Zionist, anti-British

Jihadist organization, led by Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a Syrian Sheik. Under al-Qassam, The Black

Hand commits terror attacks against Jewish immigrants and British residents.

Al-Qassam dies in 1935, but his movement continues in the same spirit, and dials up the terror,

taking up arms again in 1936 when two Arab nationalists are murdered. This time around,

a fairly widespread revolt begins- the Arab Revolt. Now, it's important to note that

it is not only the Black Hand doing the revolting. Anyhow, around 7.000 Arabs are actively fighting

the British by 1938. The British respond brutally by razing villages, looting, and even executions.

The destruction of food and water supplies are standard practices in making the Arabs

pay for their disobedience. By the time the revolt loses steam in 1939, 5000 Arab fighters

will have been killed.

The Arabs do get something out of their revolt, though. See, at this point, the British are

weary with the mess in Palestine, and in 1939 the Balfour declaration is amended, restricting

Jewish immigration to Palestine to 10,000 a year for the next five years. As you may

expect, this sparks a lot of resistance within the Jewish community, with some even proposing

a Jewish revolt against the British. This is not carried out, but the decision does

potentially have some drastic consequences for the international Jewish community- a

large Jewish population is left behind in Europe in 1939, and their future is looking

grimmer with each day that passes.

On the other side of the Sinaï desert, the British face additional challenges.

Egypt has struggled along against the British occupation, with men and women from all classes

and spheres participating in massive protests. Well, already in 1922, Egypt is declared ‘Independent'

by the British. There is a big ‘but' here, though. See, their new ‘independence'

doesn't apply to ‘the interests of the British empire in Egypt', Sudan, Egyptian

military defense, foreign affairs, and minority rights. So in effect, the British change Egypt's

independence status without changing the status quo there.

Britain keeps influence in Egypt to protect British interests without really any regard

for Egyptian sovereignty. The Egyptians do establish a constitution and elect their own

prime minister, which is something. And they keep putting pressure on the British to respect

their sovereignty fully, and finally, with the exhausting quagmire of the Middle East

in the 1930s, they seem to get their way

The British sign the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 in which the they promise to withdraw

all their troops from Egypt. But don't forget the ‘but', because back then with the

British there's always a ‘but': The British are allowed to keep military bases

and over 10,000 British troops in order to protect the Suez Canal. Furthermore, they

will also be involved in supplying, training and - if needed - assisting the Egyptian military

in case of war. The treaty, while framed as a step towards independence, is once again

designed to protect the status quo- especially as the Italian presence in the region becomes

stronger after their invasion of Abyssinia. Egyptian nationalists take to the streets

in outrage demonstrating the treaty, but for the time being their demonstrations are in

vain.

So, here we are in 1936. On either side of the Suez Canal, the British have problems

with their rule. It isn't just there, though- Iraq isn't a piece of cake for the British

either.

Here, Faisal, who had played a significant role in the Arab Revolt alongside T.E. Lawrence,

becomes king in 1921. But though Faisal governs Iraq, it is still a British mandate, and the

RAF is still present to maintain order.

Why the RAF? Well, a large rebellion had been squashed in 1920 and British High Command

is worried that another rebellion might rear its head. So, instead of risking British lives,

they choose to subdue any revolts from the skies instead. This results in Iraq becoming

the first country where modern ‘Strategic Bombing' is used to force an enemy into

submission. When revolts do arise, it is a slaughter. From 1920 onwards bombing attacks,

sometimes even using gas, kill close to 90,000 Iraqis, while the British only suffer nine

deaths.

Side note here: It is actually Arthur Harris, yes, later ‘Bomber Harris', who as a squadron

leader pretty much invents the heavy bomber and the ‘night terror' raid. Harris claims

that ‘the Arab and Kurd now know what real bombing means [when] within 45 minutes a full-sized

village can be practically wiped out, and a third of its inhabitants killed or injured,

by four or five machines which offer them no real target, no opportunity for glory as

warriors, no effective means of escape.' Even Winston Churchill, at this time Secretary

of State of Air, is keen to use chemical weapons against revolting Iraqis. He suggests that

they be used there ‘against recalcitrant Arabs as an experiment'.

Iraq forms itself in the British mold, though, becoming a state with a modern army and a

government loyal to the British. In 1930, a treaty is signed, establishing an alliance,

and when the British Mandate ends in 1932, the British do withdraw all administration

from Iraq, leaving King Faisal in charge of an actual independent nation – though one

in Britain's sphere of influence.

But independence does not mean peace for the new Iraqi state. Free from British rule, riots

between Shia and Sunni Muslims break out. Soon revolts follow and the ‘stability'

of the 1920s makes place for chaos by 1936 that matches the state of Egypt and Palestine.

So that's the spheres of British influence. How about the French?

The French Mandate includes the modern states of Lebanon and Syria. They divided the territory

into the states of Allepo, Damascus, Alawite and Jabal al-Druze. Here too, the French have

to deal with nationalist movements. However, the French are applying a different tactic

here. Instead of opposing and suppressing all groups, they support the least radical

groups while other groups are suppressed. That way no united nationalist movement can

be formed. Classic ‘divide and conquer', really.

But the French have to make a significant effort to hold their grip on the region. In

1927, Sultan al-Altrash leads a revolt in the Southern-Syrian Jabal al-Druze state.

Al-Atrash was already involved in the fight for Arab or Syrian independence during the

Arab revolt in 1916, where he befriended Faisal. Now, five years after the establishment of

the Syrian states, Al-Atrashes revolt quickly turns to revolution - which then spreads all