The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (70 page)

  9.
 “The people at Mecca …”
Arab Bulletin
, August 30, 1916, no. 17, p. 195.

10.
 
Opposing them … Lawrence,
Seven Pillars
, 78–80; Barr,
Setting the Desert
, 27.

11.
 “at Medina the Arab …”
Arab Bulletin
, August 30, 1916, no. 17, p. 195.

12.
 “The situation in the Hijaz …” Storrs to Lloyd, September 5, 1916, Cambridge University, Churchill College, George Lloyd Papers, 8/6.

13.
 When Feisal hurried back … Greaves,
Lawrence of Arabia
, 81.

14.
 “did not seem in any …”
Arab Bulletin
, February 6, 1917, no. 41, p. 68.

15.
 They divided into three … The British observer was Captain N.N.E. Bray of the 18th Bengal Lancers. Here is his description of the battle. Of the first group, who “really meant fighting,” he recorded that about twenty “advanced at a very sharp pace straight toward the Turks, who were in position about two thousand yards away. At one thousand yards they came under fire but took no notice and showed no excitement. Indeed, they appeared, but for the pace they were walking, to be out for an ordinary constitutional. When within five hundred yards, they halted a moment or two to see exactly where the fire came from and, without taking advantage of any cover or extending to any unusual extent, wandered on till they eventually halted in some dead ground within fifty yards of the Turks. Here they remained, firing snap-shots and crouching down again, suffering no casualties whatever, but inflicting a fair number on their opponents. There was no noise or confusion.”

The remaining eighty Arabs from this first group engaged the Turks a little to the south of the village proper. “These men behaved in a similar manner and remained cool in action till ordered to retire so that the naval guns might shell the Turkish trenches. They retired quietly and extended, walking slowly away and taking no notice of the stray Turkish bullets amongst them.”

Bray had nothing but scorn for the remainder of Arab troops, however. According to him, the second group, numbering three hundred men and representing the bulk of Arab soldiers present, “rushed for the town and at once began looting and fighting in a completely disorganized manner. The Turks fought very hard in the town, from house to house, and the Arabs suffered a fair number of casualties.” Nevertheless by the next morning they had driven the Turks out. “The town was in an utter state of confusion and had been ransacked from roof to floor.”

Of the third group, the hundred soldiers who sat on the beach until the fighting was over, Bray did not deign to write anything further.

16.
 Simultaneously, in Mecca … 
Arab Bulletin
, October 26, 1916, no. 27, pp. 386–90.

17.
 “The return to chthonic …”
Arab Bulletin
, November 26, 1916, no. 32, p. 476.

18.
 “We fortify ourselves …” Quoted in
Great Britain and the Near East
, September 1, 1916.

19.
 “The Sherif intends …”
Arab Bulletin
, November 26, 1916, no. 32, p. 476.

20.
 The telegram requested … For this episode, see NA, FO882/5, from which all quotations are taken.

21.
 The English translated it as … Antonius translates it as “King of the Arab Countries,”
Arab Awakening
, 213.

22.
 King of the Hejaz … Tauber,
Arab Movements
, 160.

23.
 These “easterners” … Two quotations from the opposing schools will suffice to summarize their argument. Sir William Robertson, CIGS, a committed “westerner,” explained to the cabinet why he opposed sending troops to the Hejaz: “The only way to win this war is to beat the German Armies, and as I have consistently held ever since I became Chief of the Imperial General Staff, we must accordingly concentrate every available man against those Armies.” W. R. Robertson, “Assistance to the Shereef,” September 20, 1916, NA, WO 106/1510. In opposition to this point of view, General Gilbert Clayton, in a memorandum, also addressed to the cabinet, explained why Britain should support the Arab Revolt: It had “shattered the solidarity of Islam in that Moslem is against Moslem. It has emphasized the failure of the Jehad and endangered the Khalifate of the Sultan … One way and another the best part of 3 Divisions is being held up in Arabia without costing us a man.” Moreover, if the sharif failed, that “would give the eastern coast of the Red Sea to the Turks, thus increasing for the Navy the strain of guarding the sea route to India. It would furnish the Turks with a base in Arabia for
military and political activity which might well extend to the Euphrates, Aden, Abyssinia and the Southern Sudan and Somaliland.” Finally, since the revolt was widely perceived to have been British-inspired, its failure would lead to a diminution of British prestige throughout the East. Clayton, memorandum to the Foreign Office, September 28, 1916, Durham University, Clayton Papers, 693/10/65. See too Clayton to Hall, September 10, 1916, ibid., 693/10/57.

24.
 “With another British Cavalry …” Murray to Robertson, January 10, 1917, British Library, Murray-Robertson Papers, Add. 52462/f.35.

25.
 “My sole object is …” Robertson to Murray, October 16, 1916, ibid., Add. 52462/f.13.

26.
 “The Hejaz war is …”
Arab Bulletin
, November 26, 1916, no. 32, p. 480.

27.
 “Lawrence is quite …” Quoted in Barr,
Setting the Desert
, 56.

28.
 They arrived in Jeddah … “Extract from a letter dated January 31, 1917, from the C.G.S., Egyptian Expeditionary Force, to the D.M.O., War Office,” NA, FO800, Balfour Miscellaneous.

29.
 “A Negress, [but] she …” Storrs, diary entry, October 17, 1916, Storrs Papers, reel 6, box 2, folder 5.

30.
 “He reminds me of …” Storrs to “My Dear Colum,” December 21, 1916, ibid., reel 5, box 2, folder 4, Egypt 1916–17.

31.
 “with his extraordinarily …” Storrs, diary entry, October 16, 1916, ibid.

32.
 “I felt at first glance …” Lawrence,
Seven Pillars
, 76.

  1.
 “a clever, efficient …” OUNBL, Selborne Papers, 80/285. This is part of Selborne’s recollection of the entire cabinet.

  2.
 “I do not want you …” Montagu to Asquith, December 5, 1916, OUNBL, Asquith Papers, 17.

  3.
 “The Turks … are fine fighters …” Murray to Robertson, December 13, 1916, British Library, Murray-Robertson Papers, Add. 52462/f.27.

  4.
 “The War Cabinet is very …” Robertson to Murray, January 31, 1917, ibid., Add. 52462/f.43.

  5.
 “in order to get him …” Hardinge to Sir Valentine Chirol, April 26, 1917, CUL, Lord Hardinge Papers.

  6.
 “I have just got …” Murray to Robertson, May 20, 1917, June 12, 1917, British Library, Murray-Robertson Papers, Add. 52462/ff. 96, 103.

  7.
 “From what I hear …” Malcolm to Sykes, February 3, 1917, Hull University, Sykes Papers, DDSY/2.

  8.
 “was laying down the …” Weizmann to Sieff, February 3, 1917, in Stein,
Letters
, letter no. 303, 7:326.

  9.
 “it is the opinion …” Malcolm to Sykes, February 5, 1917, Hull University, Sykes Papers, DDSY/2.

10.
 When he learned … Gaster also invited Herbert Bentwich of the Maccabeans.

11.
 “The most important …” Quoted in Reinharz,
Weizmann
, 112. See also Gaster to James de Rothschild, February 9, 1917, WI, Moses Gaster Papers.

12.
 a document encapsulating … The statement ended with a by-now-familiar assertion of the main Zionist claims: that Palestine be recognized as the Jewish national home; that Jews be free to immigrate there from all countries; that their colonies be self-governing; and that Hebrew be recognized as their official language.

13.
 “He needed no formal …” Stein,
Balfour Declaration
, 374.

14.
 “Mr. Samuel replied …” Quoted in Stein,
Balfour Declaration
, 372. Copies of Sokolow’s résumé of the meeting may be found at the Weizmann Archive, the CZA, and the Moses Gaster Papers.

15.
 “The Arabs professed …” Ibid., 373.

16.
 “Mr. Sokolow replied …” Sokolow’s résumé of the meeting may be found in various archives. I quote from copies in the OUNBL, Stein Papers, box 6.

17.
 “Zionists and Jews generally …” “Notes of a meeting held on Saturday, February 10, 1917, at 9 Buckingham Gate, London SW,” CZA Z440/661.

18.
 
“those friends of mine …” Weizmann to Harris J. Morgenstern, February 1, 1917, in Stein,
Letters
, letter no. 302, 7:324.

19.
 “From certain information …” Quoted in Sanders,
High Walls
, 472.

20.
 “the curious experience …” Sacher,
Zionist Portraits
, 104.

21.
 “the only thing of the …” Ibid., 107

22.
 “on grounds of British …” Sidebotham,
Great Britain
, 32–33.

23.
 “He loved music …” Sacher,
Zionist Portraits
, 109.

24.
 “I think we received …” Sidebotham,
Great Britain
, 41–42.

25.
 “As I am officially …” Sacher, Sieff, Simon to C. P. Scott, October 16, 1916, online at
http://www.mucjs.org/EXHIBITION/12bpctoscott.html
.

26.
 “I have always considered …” Sykes to “Dear Sir,” October 14, 1916, WI.

27.
 “unless Palestine comes …”
Palestine
, February 1, 1917; “The Policy of the Palestine Committee,” n.d., OUNBL, Stein Papers, box 1.

28.
 Quickly
Palestine
established … For example, Sir Reginald Wingate, who had replaced McMahon as Egypt’s high commissioner, requested that copies be sent to him in faraway Cairo.

29.
 “We … must at whatever …” Sieff to Weizmann, February 2, 1917, WI.

30.
 “it was most unpleasant …” Weizmann to Sokolow, February 18, 1917, in Stein,
Letters
, letter no. 309, 7:330.

31.
 “There is no doubt …” Sieff to Weizmann, February 19, 1917, WI.

32.
 “Letter received …” Weizmann to Sieff, February 20, 1917, quoted in Stein,
Letters
, letter no. 311, 7:332.

33.
 “‘Palestine’ this week …” Sieff to Weizmann, February 20, 1917, WI.

34.
 “tying Zionism up …” Sacher to Simon, May 13, 1917, WI.

35.
 “Where we differ from …” Sacher to Simon, May 9, 1917, CZA, Leon Simon Collection, CZA/A298114.

36.
 “an extremist and …” Weizmann to Tolkowsky, February 28, 1917, WI (filed under Miscellaneous). Interestingly, the printed version of this letter in Stein,
Letters
, letter no. 313, 7:335, does not contain this sentence.

  1.
 “You must take me …” C. P. Scott, diary (photocopy), March 15, 1917, WI. C. P. Scott’s diaries are available at a number of archives.

  2.
 “I have seen Balfour …” Weizmann to Ahad Ha’am, March 24, 1917, in Stein,
Letters
, letter no. 324.

  3.
 “‘You may tell the Prime … ’” Weizmann to Scott, March 23, 1917, ibid., letter no. 323.

  4.
 a breakfast at 10 Downing Street … C. P. Scott, diary entry, April 3, 1917, British Library.

  5.
 “Often he remarked …” Sokolow,
History of Zionism
, 2:xviii–xix.

  6.
 “I am extremely satisfied …” Sokolow to Sykes, March 28, 1917, CZA, Sokolow Papers.

  7.
 “You are, of course, acquainted …” Sokolow to Weizmann, April 20, 1917, quoted in Stein,
Balfour Declaration
, 394, n3.

  8.
 “If the great force …” Sykes to Picot, February 28, 1917, Oxford University, St. Antony’s College, Middle East Centre, Sykes Papers, GB 165-0275/32B.

  9.
 “The French are determined …” Sokolow to Weizmann, April 4, 1917, CZA, Sokolow Papers.

10.
 For several hours … The other officials included Jules Cambon’s brother Paul, who was the French ambassador to Britain, and Prime Minister Alexandre Ribot’s chef de cabinet, Pierre de Margerie.

11.
 “As I was crossing the Quai …” Sokolow,
History of Zionism
, 2:xxx.

12.
 “I was told …” Sokolow to Weizmann, April 19, 1917, CZA, Sokolow Papers.

13.
 “Zionists’ aspirations …” NA, FO371/3045. Weizmann, upon receiving a copy of this wire, worried that it gave the impression that Zionists would look to France as well as to England, or rather instead of to England, for protection in Palestine. He thought Sokolow had let down
the movement and said so in a rather undiplomatic telegram. Sokolow replied: “Astonished fallacious commentaries … My programme were our demands for which enlisted official sympathy without slightest allusion to French alternative or any engagement … My ideal solution is naturally British Palestine.” See Sokolow to Weizmann, May 4, 1917, CZA, Sokolow Papers.

14.
 “naturally the moment …” Sykes to Balfour, April 9, 1917, Hull University, Sykes Papers, DDSY/2/13.

15.
 “the belief in the power …” Sacher,
Zionist Portraits
, 37.

16.
 Upon arriving in Rome … The British representative was Count T. de Salis.

17.
 “Sir M. Sykes’ visit …” De Salis to Drummond, April 17, 1917, House of Lords Record Office, Lloyd George Papers, box 95, folder 2, no. 16.

18.
 Sykes sought out too … The British ambassador was Sir Rennel Rodd.

19.
 “opened fire on questions …” Rodd to Hardinge, April 12, 1917, CUL, Lord Hardinge Papers, vol. 31.

20.
 “I … prepared the way …” Sykes to Graham, April 15, 1917, NA, FO371/3052.

21.
 “I laid considerable stress …” Sykes to Sokolow, April 14, 1917, Oxford University, St. Antony’s College, Middle East Centre, Sykes Papers, 42B.