British drive for colonization in the 20th century was the primary motivating factor in their support of Zionism. For centuries the Middle East was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The latter's disintegration in 19th and 20th centuries coincided with the increase of nationalism and imperialism in Europe and the exploitation of Arab oil. Competition for foreign colonies provoked th

The White Paper of 1939 was designed as a method of placation for the escalating friction between the Arabs and the Jews. Although vague, it favored neither side, but rather sought overall peace for their own benefit. Rather than supporting the Jews as promised, Britain's new policy in relation to Palestine on the eve of the war in Europe was clearly aimed at appeasing the Arabs. Convinced that for the Arabs, Jewish immigration formed the core of the Palestine problem, Britain decided in 1939 to limit drastically the scope of this immigration, and thus proved their apparent lack of true Semite sympathy as the Zionists believed. From 1933 to 1936, more than 130,000 Jews arrived in Palestine. During this period the Yishuv, or Jewish community in Palestine, grew by about 80 per cent, the high point for immigration coming in 1935, when 62,000 persons entered Palestine. The decision of the Conservative Government to retreat from its support for partitioning Palestine into Arab and Jewish states and from its support for Zionism was manifested in the White Paper of May 1939. Among other provisions, this document set an immigration quota of 75,000 Jews for five years, after which further immigration would be conditional upon Arab consent. This is an obvious severance from their original declaration of sympathy and dedication to the Jewish Zionist aspirations. In this action, again British interests precede those promised to the Zionists.

Another important aspect in the argument against English sentiment for the Jewish cause is the wording within the document itself. The White Paper, like others before it, is worded is an ambiguous way that prooves advantageous to the British.

One of the first points in the paper states the obligation of the parliament “To place the country under such political, a

Some topics in this essay:
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