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The White Papers were simply a clarification of the new british policy. During World War One, the British bought the support of arabs and Jews in the region by promising them independence from the Ottoman rule. This was good for the British because it helped the Ottoman empire fall apart, teaming the local people against Turkish rule and making them loyal to the British, thus giving the British forces a clear advantage in the war against the Turks. Once Britain gained control of the Middle East, it made a deal with the French to split up the conquered territories. But Britain had enough problems throughout its empire of colonies, that it should be bothered by the arabs, making more enemies for itself. Therefore it was the policy of Britain to appease the arabs, so that it could profit off its assets in the Middle East without having to suffer too many loses. And everything was working out well for the British, except for their many problems in Israel.
When Britain was entrusted with a mandate to create nations out of the territories in the Middle East, the arabs, in general, were not so much against the creation of a Jewish State in Israel. Most of the arabs were more interested in creating their own states in the surrounding region, and they held back from causing too many problems since this would have been a risk to their own interests. At the time Britain was willing to carry out the order of its mandate and help the Jews build the State of Israel, because it wasn't faced with much opposition. Furthermore, Israel was still a largely underdeveloped wasteland, and the arabs considered it to be only a backwater province of syria. Not only was Jewish settlement tolerated, it was encouraged by the arabs, who saw the Jews as the "redeemers of the Land," since the desert blossomed wherever the Jews would settle. The arabs thought they were smart, giving the Jews Israel while they took the "good land." But once they saw that Israel was fertile and that it could support many people, the arabs were not disheartened, since they thought they would take Israel as well. And they moved there in great numbers, as jobs and opportunities were made available to them.
But the British were foolish because they made empty promises, saying and doing whatever was important to them and then changing their policies to suit their best interests. The British could have insisted that the arabs not settle in Israel (since they were already being given their own lands) and then they could easily have kept their promises. But there were arabs in Israel, and the arab population grew rapidly, and so Britain had to choose its policy. And britain chose to favor the arab majority. Perhaps britain thought the Jews would be easier to handle, and britain could throw around the Jews and treat them like puppets, as the Jews have always been weak and helpless people. But history has proven otherwise, because the Jews of Israel have shown themselves to be more powerful than all the arab countries combined. And it is not numbers that matter. Israel cannot be harmed as long as it is filled with the Spirit of G-d. |
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The White Paper of 1939 (also known as the MacDonald White Paper) was a
statement of policy issued by the british in the wake of the St. James
Conference. As the Conference failed to produce any realistic formulations
for peace in Israel, the british decided upon a new strategy for
handling the volatile situation in the region. In this new statement of
policy, the british made concessions to the arabs on a wide range of issues.