The third agreement Britain made was with France. This was known as the Sykes-picot agreement after the prime ministers that discussed it. This contradicted the other two promises as it was agreed that Britain would control Palestine after WW1. This is what happened after the war ended.
Israeli Jewish Reaction
The Jewish community’s reaction to the world war one promises was mixed. They were obviously keen on the Balfour Declaration as it promised them freedom however some Jews would have thought that the promise was too good to be true, and that Britain only made it to keep Russia in the War and to drag the USA into it. Jews would have also been happy about the Balfour Declaration as it came after the McMahon letter and therefore would have been seen to override this document. Perceptive Jews that read the letter all the way through would have also spotted the flaw in the agreement set by Balfour, that no harm should come to the existing non Jewish communities in Palestine. This meant that the Jews would have to be very careful not to come into conflict with these people who had by then been living there for hundreds of years.
The Jews would have been very angry at the Sykes-Picot agreements as it double crossed them by handing over power to Britain. This would have seemed like an insult to their nation saying they needed protecting. Some Jews however may have seen that having British protection could be useful as it would let the nation rebuild itself while the Britons protected them. They would also benefit from British technology and industry.
Palestinian Arabs Reaction
The Palestinian Arabs would have been initially happy but the release of the McMahon letter by the British as it showed support for their cause against the Turks. However critics may have pointed out that the letter excluded that area west of Damascus, which includes Palestine, so therefore the promise was useless to the Arabs living in that area.. As well as this perceptive Arabs may have seen that the British were only to support so that they would help them fight Turkey.
The Arabs would have hated the Balfour Declaration. They would have seen this document as a betrayal by the British; however literary Arabs would have notice the catch in the letter and see the letter not as a disaster but merely as a setback. This document would have almost certainly caused distrust in the general population which did not help the British cause when they were ruling the land.
Six Day War
The Six Day War was a tuning point in the conflict because for the first time the whole might of the two sides went against each other after careful planning that eventually led to the Arab’s downfall. In addition to this The Jews conquered vital territories including, the Golan Heights form Syria, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Desert from Egypt. The most strategically important moment in the six days the war lasted was when the Israeli Air Force launched an attack, alternatively known as a pre emptive strike on the main Arab Air force. This war dislodged a further 500,000 refugees and caused bitter hatred. One of the main leaders of the war was General Nasser of Egypt. He orchestrated a blockade on an Israeli port. Then under his command Egypt, Syria and Jordan marched on Palestine however the Israeli air force massacred them.
Israeli Jewish Reaction
The Jewish reaction to the six day war was of happiness as they had completely conquered their holy city of Jerusalem and taken important territories for holding Palestine. They would also be happy because they had comprehensively defeated the combined Arab forces. Some Jews however would see the war as a bad thing as it would deepen the hatred and lengthen the vendetta between the two sides, forward thinkers might also consider the fact that these terrorised Arabs would be prepared to do anything to get back at the Israelis. Also the war had cost the Jews international support as with their “pre-emptive” air strike they had actually started the conflict. Some Jews would have been unhappy because in their religion it says “thou shall not kill” and in the war many soldiers died on both sides.
Palestinian Arab Reaction
The Palestinians reaction would have been of despair as their neighbours combined forces had been defeated. They had also lost control of Jerusalem, a central city in their nation and in their religion. They would also be depressed because their territories had been taken away form benevolent powers and given to the Jews who were likely to be intolerant and hard rulers. Some Arabs however might see that the Jews had united palatine again and all that was needed now was a revolt. The hatred and terror of the war could also have affected many Arabs who could possibly be come future suicide bombers.
