ABSTRACT
THE negotiations for a new Anglo-Egyptian treaty, to replace the agreement of 1936, which had by then run only half its allotted span, opened in an atmosphere of faint optimism, at any rate so far as the two governments were concerned. The Egyptians felt they deserved, and indeed expected, favourable treatment because of their 'loyal support' for the Allies during the war, and they were under the impression that a Labour Government in Whitehall, with really strong backing in the country, would be in a position and willing to concede those points Egypt considered were essential to satisfy the famous 'national aspirations', which were the rallying point of Egyptian public opinion—such as it was. They believed, too, that even the Conservative Opposition was, at that time, friendly to the Arab cause in general and the Egyptian case in particular. They were fully aware of the increasing tension in Palestine, but at this period few Arab politicians believed that Britain would allow the Jews to become too strong because, in their opinion, 'it is obviously greatly to British interests to retain the friendship and support of the Arab world'. The Egyptian Press, with more than a hint of wishful thinking, recalled how the British had helped the sister-countries of Syria and the Lebanon achieve their independence even at the cost of a bitter quarrel with the French.
