War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

208 WARBYREVOLUTION

announcedpubliclyBritain'sintentionofdismemberingtheOtto-
manEmpire.TheydemandedthecurbingoreliminationofTurkey's
controloverArabia,Palestine,Syria,Armenia,andMesopotamia.
LloydGeorgeandtheotherimperialexpansionistsin hisgovernment
wishedtoplaceasmanyaspossibleoftheArabregionsoftheformer
TurkishempireunderexclusiveBritishinfluence.
StillotherpowerfulforcesinLondon,influencedbythepossibil-
itythatRussianJewsmightpersuadetheirfellowRussiansto con-
tinueinthewar,andbythedesiretosecureBritain'sinterestsin Pal-
estineagainstFrance,hadbegundiscussingplansthatwouldresult
on 2 NovemberintheBalfourDeclaration.Namedfor theforeign
secretary,A.J.Balfour,itexpressedBritain'ssupportfor "aNational
HomefortheJewishPeople"inpostwarPalestine."
Inthefallof1917,theraidsbytheArabsandLawrenceontherail-
roadgrewinnumber,asAllenbyandtheEEFdrovenorthwardinto
PalestineandtowardJerusalem.To prepareforthiscampaignthe
EEFhadpreviouslyspreadintosouthernPalestinepropagandaiden-
tifyingtheAlliedcausewiththatofArabautonomy.Inaddition,the
Britishsentintotheregionemissarieswhodispensedlargeamounts
ofgoldtoinducelocalArabtribestowithholdtheirsupportfrom
theOttomansandGermans.v
StillanotherfactoraddedtoBritain'sfearthatitsenemieswere
makingastrongefforttorecruittheArabs. InOctoberthePortean-
nouncedthattheex-khediveofEgypt,AbbasHilmi,hadreturnedto
ConstantinoplefromEurope,wherehehadlived since1915.Through-
out1917,whilestillinSwitzerland,theex-khedivehadinhisusual
fashionplayedadouble-edgedgame.Seekingtoextractmoremoney
fromtheGermanandOttomanlegations,hehadledthemto believe
thathewouldsooncompleteadealallyinghimwithBritain.>But
whenTalaatPashareplacedSaidHalim,AbbasHilmi'scousinand
arch-enemy,asgrandvizier,theex-khediveenterednegotiationswith
thePortefor hisreturntotheOttomancapital.TheGermansurged
himto do so,inpartbecausetheex-khediveandhis son,Abdal-
Moneim,hadbeenspinninga webofintrigueagainsttheCentral
PowersbynegotiatingwithBritainandFrance."
StillotherfactorspersuadedAbbasHilmitomovebackto
Constantinople.TheBritishhadendedtheirnegotiationswithhim