BRITAIN IN PALESTINE
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In November 1918, the War ended. The British were already in military control of Palestine, and now the Allies faced the need to decide what should happen to the territories formerly under enemy control.
France had its eyes on Syria, and Britain wanted control of Palestine, for various strategic reasons. This would also put it in a good position to promote the aims of the Zionists, as Balfour had
promised. But before any of these aims could be achieved, there had to be a formal peace agreement with the former enemies, including Turkey. During the Peace talks Britain manoeuvred to make sure that any agreement over Palestine included special rights for the Jews of the world to go and live in the country.
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Even before the War was over, Britain put in place an administration to govern Palestine, led by General Edmund Allenby, who accepted the surrender of the Turks in Jerusalem. For the next few years, the British government tried to govern Palestine as if it was a colony, even though Britain would not be officially in charge of the country until a full peace treaty had been signed and the League of Nations handed over responsibility.
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