Arab-Israeli conflict causes: role of Britain, Arabs, Israel

ROLE + CAUSES TYPE QUESTION

1. ROLE OF BRITISH

   • B's contradictory & fluctuating policies fuelled mistrust & suspicion among the A & I. Along with the mishandling of land & immigration policies during the initial years & the abrupt withdrawal of the B mandate from Palestine, left a power vacuum that allowed the descent of situation into near civil war, contributing to the onset of the conflict.
     • B promised A under the secret HUSSEIN-MCMAHON CORRESPONDENCE to accede to them Ottoman territory, including Palestine, in exchange for their crucial support against the Turks.
     • B also promised the Jews in the BALFOUR DECLARATION, the establishment of a national home for the Jews in Palestine to gain their aid & the help of the Americans in the war.
     • The secret SYKES-PICOT AGREEMENT between the B & F also brought into the question B sincerity in granting autonomy to the A & Jews since the B laid claims to the same territory that was promised to both the A & Jews.
   • B also played an important role in protracting the already full-fledged A-I conflict by sparking the 2nd A-I War (Suez-Sinai War) (1956

2. ROLE OF ARABS

   • Unwavering refusal to acknowledge the state of Israel made for the notion for peaceful coexistence impossible and hence can be largely blamed for causing & continuing the A-I conflict with I talking defensive measures to ensure her survival.
   • The A were also to blame for their aggressive ambitions that protracted & intensified the conflict.
   • The ambitious & provocative actions of the A leaders also introduced extremist elements into the A-I conflict.

3. ROLE OF ISRAELIS

   • I's aggressive establishment & the expansion of her territory provoked forceful responses from the A nations, heightening the intensity of the conflict.
   • The Is were the key creators of the P problems & their refusal to address these festering issues gave rise to P activism, adding another destabilising angle & LT consequence to the conflict, causing the conflict to expand and morph into several dimensions.

4. ROLE OF THE PALESTINIAN ARABS

   • The P A played a fundamental role at the start of the conflict as well as a significant part in protracting the conflict with their destabilising strands of extremism.

5. ROLE OF SUPERPOWERS

   • The superpowers expanded & prolonged the conflict by using the ME as a CW battleground which added another layer to the already complex A-I conflict by polarising the region.

6. BOTH A & I ARE TO BE BLAMED

   • Both the A & I can also be equally at fault because their entrenched ideological differences played a role in laying the foundations for the start of the conflict.