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Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [5r] (11/380)
The record is made up of 1 file (187 folios). It was created in 1 Jul 1916-7 Dec 1918. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
9
With regard to Palestine, His Majesty’s Government are committed by Sir H.
^^McMahon’s letter to the Sherif on the 24th October, 1915, to its inclusion in the boundaries
of Arab independence. But they have stated their policy regarding the Palestinian
Holy Placesand Zionist colonisation in their message to him of the 4th January, 1918 :— 17
“That so far as Palestine is concerned, we are determined that no people shall
be subjected to another, but that in view of the fa<:t :
“ (a.) That there are in Palestine shrines, Wakfs, and Holy Places, sacred in
some cases to Moslems alone, to Jews alone, to Christians alone, and in others to two
or all three, and inasmuch as these places are of interest to vast masses of people
outside Palestine and Arabia, there must be a special regime to deal with these
places approved of by the world.
“ (6.) That as regards the Mosque of Omar, it shall he considered as a Moslem
concern alone, and shall not he subjected directly or indirectly to any non-Moslem
authority.
“ That since the Jewish opinion of the world is in favour of a return of Jews
to Palestine, and inasmuch as this opinion must remain a constant factor, and
further, as His Majesty’s Government view with favour the realisation of this
aspiration, His Majesty’s Government are determined that in so far as is compatible
with the freedom of the existing population, both economic and political, no obstacle
should be put in the way of the realisation of this ideal.”
This message was delivered personally to King Husein by Commander Hogarth,
and the latter reported on his reception of it as follows :—
“The King would not accept an independent Jewish State in Palestine, nor
was I instructed to warn him that such a State was contemplated by Great
Britain. He probably knows nothing of the actual or possible economy of
Palestine, and his ready assent to Jewish settlement there is not worth very
much. But I think he appreciates the financial advantage of Arab co-operation
with the Jews.”
Finally, it may be noted that King Husein was violently disturbed by the
allusions to the Anglo-French Agreement of the Kith May, 191G, made in a speech by
Jemal
Pasha
An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
at Beirout on the 30ih November, 1917, and reported in No. 101 of the
“ Mustakbal,” of Paris. 18 Jemal represented that Great Britain and France would so
interpret their special position in Mesopotamia and Syria respectively as to confine
King Husein’s effective power to the Hejaz. In view of the King’s attitude towards
this quest ion recorded above, the effect upon him of Jemal’s insinuation was
inevitable.
Relation of Commitments regarding Mesopotamia under (iv.) to British Desiderata.
Area .—His Majesty’s Government stipulated for “special measures of administra
tive control ” in Basra and Bagdad vilayets. The Sherif, in his final statement on
the subject on the 1st January, 19LG, referred to Irak, which is equivalent.
N.B.—In November, Faroki talked to Sir Mark Sykes about a special position for
Great Britain in “ Mesopotamia,” and the same word is used in Sir Mark Sykes’
report of the Sherif’s message to him on the 20th May, 1917.
It is not clear whether this is simply a rendering of “ Irak ” or is intended to
include Jezireh.
Terms. —Sherif Husein laid down no terms except a monetary compensation to
himself (as representing the Arab Confederation) for the duration of the British
control. He left the fixing of the amount to His Majesty’s Government. His
Majesty’s Government have not committed themselves to such payment or to any other
condition.
Duration. —Throughout the negotiations the Sherif assumed that this would he
limited, and it is clear from his conversation with Captain Lawrence that be regards it as
understood that it shall be short. His Majesty’s Government, on their side, have
committed themselves to no time limit whatsoever.
(v.) Relation of Sherif Husein to Great Britain.
In his first letter of July, 1915, Sherif Husein proposed that Great Britain
should enjoy priority of economic enterprise throughout the territory included within
245810/18. 18 123868/18: King Husein’s- letter of the 5th June, 1018, to Sir R. Wingate.
[883]
D
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence, memoranda, maps, manuscript notes, and other papers relating to the political and territorial settlement of parts of the Middle East following the First World War. Many of the papers were collected for the attention of the Middle East Committee (later named the Eastern Committee, following the mergence of the Foreign Office's Russia Committee and the interdepartmental Persia Committee) of the War Cabinet. Contributors include officials from the War Office, Foreign Office, Admiralty, and India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , as well as indivduals such as Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence. Correspondence comes from representatives of the French and Italian governments as well as British officials in Cairo and other parts of the Middle East.
The papers deal with plans for the region presuming and following an Allied victory in the First World War and take into consideration the imperial ambitions of the victorious European Powers (France, Italy, Russia, Britain, and the United States) and the multitudinous commitments made by the British to various groups. The plans are based on evolving agreements rooted in the Sykes-Picot, or Asia Minor, Agreement between the British and French of 1916. Regions under consideration include the Hejaz (sometimes written Hedjaz), Syria, Northern Iraq, Southern Iraq, Palestine, Armenia, Turkey, the Idrisi state, Yemen, Persia, and Afghanistan. Various matters are covered in the file, but particular focus is given to plans for the Sherifian family of the Hejaz, led by King Husein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], which impacted upon policy in Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and the Arabian Peninsula. Other matters include the situation between Jews and Arabs in Palestine, wartime commitments to ruling shaikhs in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the French position in the region, and desiderata of the Government of India for any peace settlement.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (187 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order from the front to the back.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front first page with 1, and terminates at the inside back last page with 187; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/277
- Title
- Papers on British policy and the Arab movement
- Pages
- 1ar:1av, 1r:14r, 14r:14v, 14v, 22r:59v, 62r:98r, 99v:120v, 125r:133v, 136r:165r, 166r:167r, 167av, 168r:173r, 175r:176v, 178r:187v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence