ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the deepening conflict between the Arabs and Jews of Palestine in the period between the two world wars. During those years, Palestine was ruled by Great Britain as a mandated territory. Fierce battles had taken place in Palestine during the Great War, and parts of the country were devastated and badly in need of reconstruction. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Palestine was the southern part of what was known as geographical Syria. This area, situated between the Suez Canal to the west and the Persian Gulf and India to the east, was of strategic importance especially for the British and was considered vital to their geopolitical and economic interests. Sherif Hussein of Mecca, ruler of the Hejaz, was perhaps the Arab figure at that time with the greatest prestige and potential power. As a Hashemite, and as guardian of the holy places of Islam, he was the natural spokesperson for the Arabs.
