The Great War on the Western Front was a static war. In order to end the war faster the British needed to open a new front to try and tie down troops of Germany or one of its allies. Many of these attempts to open up a new front were made in the Near and Middle East. The campaign at Gallipoli, where ANZAC troops landed in 1915, failed miserably and after early successes Indian divisions also suffered defeats in Mesopotamia against the Ottomans. In search for a new way to break open the war the British decided they would need the help of the Arabs. The British plan was for the Arabs to stage a revolt against their Ottoman rulers. This would tie down Ottoman troops that were now assisting their allies on the fronts on the European mainland to stage a revolution against the Ottoman Empire, one of Germany's allies.
English: Portrait of Lord Balfour, along with his ...
English: Sykes-Picot Agreement 1916. Reproduced fr...
English: Balfour declarationIn return the British would offer the Arabs their own state. Around the same time the British were trying to get support of the Jews. In return they promised them Palestine as a homeland. Zionism had experienced a great growth in support from the beginning of the 20th century. When the Great War broke out the Zionists started to press national governments more and more to answer the so called Jewish question. During the Great War the British wrote secret treaties and agreements with the Arabs, Jews and even the French. These agreements were made during the war and were mostly to end the war and were unstable and short term solutions. The origins of the modern day Israel-Palestine conflict were cause largely by British interest in winning the Great War which led to double dealing between the Arabs and the Jews which are particularly prominent in the Balfour...