Middle East in the 18th century Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Middle East in the 18th century - Term Paper Example The Balfour Declaration was issued by the British government in November 2, 1917. The Balfour Declaration was as a result of several simultaneous political events that emanated during the First World War. The events include: British philosemitism, Britain’s military requirements during the First World War, Zionists diplomatic activities, and foreign policy and imperial interests of the British. Other scholars argue that the Balfour Declaration came as a result of the Winter of 1916 to 1917. The Zionists were seeking the support of their aims from the British because they saw no future without the declaration of the support by the British (Gutwein 338). The aim of the Zionists was very clear since 1896 and all what they wanted was to be allowed to form a publicly and legally secured home for the Jewish people that were in Palestine. Other than security, they wanted assurance. This means that the Zionists wanted to create an autonomous Jewish state within Palestine. The same sentiments to allow Jewish Zionists aspirations were echoed by a prominent American Zionist, Hon. Louis Brandeis in 1915. The declaration was beyond the protection of the small Jewish community that lived in Palestine; it was to protect the Jews all around the world (Rifkind 24). The Sykes-Picot Accord was declared on May 16, 1916. The accord was negotiated by the French diplomat Francois Georges-Picot and Briton Mark Sykes in November 1915. It was a secret agreement between the governments of France and Britain in defining their influence in the post-World War 1 and their control of the Middle East. The boundaries that were drawn in the accord still remain in the present border between Iraq and Syria. In the accord, Britain was given control of the Iraq, and Jordan areas and a small region around Haifa. France was given control of the northern Iraq, Lebanon, South-eastern Turkey and