The Arabs

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The Arabs
We have looked at why the JEWS believe the land
of Palestine belongs to them We have looked at
the conflict that this claim has caused between
the ARABS and the JEWS
TODAY Why do the Arabs believe that Palestine is
their land?
MAKE YOUR OWN NOTES
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There is a page of notes in your yellow booklet
The Arabs
In todays lesson you will find there are a lot
of similarities between why the Jews think they
have a right to Palestine and why the Arabs think
they have
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Around the time that the Bible was written, most
Arabs lived in the Arabian Desert.
Where is the Arabian Desert?
They followed a NOMADIC and TRIBAL existence
travelling from place to place
This land is also Caanan the Promised Land Of
the JEWS
Arabs had always lived in Palestine, but after
the Romans drove out the Jews in AD 135, more and
more of them began to live there.
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In the Seventh Century AD, Palestine became part
of the Islamic Empire.
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Palestine was part of the Islamic Empire
When Palestine was part of the Islamic Empire
Muslims built many religious shrines in
Palestine.
The city of JERUSALEM became a very sacred place
for ARABS.
The JEWS also consider Jerusalem to be a sacred
place!
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Sacred temples in Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque sacred to
the MUSLIMS and built on top of Temple Mount
TEMPLE MOUNT sacred to the JEWS
Western or Wailing Wall part of Solomons
temple built around the Temple Mount sacred to
the JEWS
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The Holy City of Jerusalem Holy to Arabs AND
Jews
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Decline of the Islamic Empire
Towards the end of the Eleventh Century the Arab
Empire fell into decline.
By the sixteenth century the Arabs were ruled by
the Ottoman Turks.
They were Muslims like the Arabs and did not
treat them harshly but the Arabs looked back on
this period as a Dark Age.
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The Arabs were angry with their Turkish rulers
At the end of the 19th century many Arabs blamed
the fact that they were behind the West in the
development of their countries on their Turkish
rulers
At the beginning of the 20th Century a movement
began to free the Arabs from Turkish rule.
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Some Arabs wanted a strong Turkish Empire
In 1908 a revolution by Young Turks got rid of
the Sultan, Abdul Hamid II who they blamed for
the Turkish Empires decline.
The Young Turks tried to stop the decline of the
Ottoman Empire by strengthening TURKISH
nationalism. The teaching of the Turkish
language in schools and the wearing of the Fez
became compulsory.
This ANGERED other ARABS who wanted their own
ARAB State
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Other Arabs struggle for their own state or
homeland
There were many clashes between the two sides
Arab secret societies began to be formed
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The Arabs UNITE in their struggle
HERZL and ZIONISM Had united the JEWS
In 1913 the First Arab National Congress was held
UNITING the Arabs together in their struggle
against Turkish rule
In 1914 a Manifesto of Arab Nationalism was
published in Cairo which called on the Arabs
throughout the Middle East and North Africa to
rise up against the Turks and overthrow them.
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The First World War
On 5th November 1914 TURKEY declared war on
Britain, France Russia
France Russia Britain
Turkey Germany Austria-Hungary
Britain needed ARAB support to help them defeat
the Turks.
So Britain began talks with Sharif Hussein of
Mecca, the recognised leader of the Arab world.
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Britain makes a promise to the Arabs!
The McMahon Letter
Sir Henry McMahon represented Britain in these
negotiations. In October 1915 McMahon made this
promise in a letter to Hussein
Great Britain is prepared to recognise and
support the independence of the Arabs in all the
regions within the limits demanded by the Sharif
of Mecca.
The ARABS believed the promise included Palestine
Who else had the British made a promise to?
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The Arabs support Britain
In June 1916 the Arab leader Sharif Hussein
declared war on Turkey. With the support of
British officers, especially T.E. Lawrence
(Lawrence of Arabia) the Turks were defeated.
Lawrence of Arabia
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ProblemsInternational Involvement in Palestine
After the war Palestine is taken off Turkey and
in 1920 Britain is given the mandate (given
temporary charge) for the Middle East including
Palestine.
Britain has now made a promise to the JEWS The
Balfour Declaration promised Palestine as a
national home for the Jewish people
Britain has made a promise to the ARABS to
recognise and support the independence of the
Arabs
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Jews begin to emigrate to Palestine Tension
builds
What happened to the people evicted by the JEWS
is our next lesson
With money from the USA and Europe, Jews buy land
in Palestine mainly from Arab landowners who
were now living in Lebanon Syria.
The new Jewish landlords evict the Arab tenants
The ARABS demand a ban on immigration
The British say NO!
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During the 1930s Jewish immigration to Palestine
increased
By 1939 the Jews made up 28 of the total
population of Palestine
Between 1936 and 1939 there were serious
anti-Jewish riots
After the Second World War Jewish immigration
increased again!
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The British give up
The British feel they can no longer control the
situation and ask the UNITED NATIONS to take over
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United Nations decide Partition Palestine!
In 1947 the UN come up with a plan divide
Palestine into two partition it.
ARAB LAND
JEWISH LAND
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The Jews say YES to the partition
The Arabs say NO
The Arabs get ready for a war with the Jews and
the British over this
The British pull their troops out
The JEWS declare the land is now called ISRAEL
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Israels War of Independence 1948
On the 15th MAY 1948 the ARAB nations surrounding
the Jewish state EGYPT, JORDAN, IRAQ, SYRIA and
LEBANON attack the JEWS
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The Jews win!
Palestine is no more The Jews take over even more
land than they had been given in the United
Nations partition!
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Web site
www.palestinehistory.com
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TASK - Use your booklet The Arabs to help you

• Why do the Palestinians believe that the land
  should belong to them?
• (Try to make points under the following headings
  Homeland, Religion, Turkish rule, the First World
  War)
• 2. How did the Arabs lose control of Palestine?
• (British Mandate Jewish Immigration United
  Nations First Arab/Israeli War.)
• 3. So far, who do you think has got the best
  claim to the land - the Israelis or the
  Palestinians? Explain your answer.