Partition of Palestine and Political Stability: Ottoman Legacy and International Influences (1922 – 1948)

Abstract

Political stability in the Middle East seems an illusion, particularly in Palestine. This paper compares three variables (religious, political and international interests) that, through a four-period partition (the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the millet system, the British Mandate, the partition plans and the constitutional forms proposed, and the system adopted afterwards), led Palestine to the present situation. With the creation of the Mandate in 1922, the primary task of the British Government was to find a convenient solution to lead Palestine to independence with a constitutional structure and later with a convenient partition between Arabs and Jews. An impossible task due to the conflicting interests of the two communities, of the other international actors and to the outbreak of the Second World War.