Boundaries delimitation: Palestine and Trans‐Jordan

Abstract

Palestine and Trans-Jordan emerged as modern states; this was in consequence of British war commitments to its allies during the First World War. Sir Mark Sykes, a senior Foreign Office official, together with George Picot, a French diplomat, set out in May 1917, to discuss matters with Sherif Hussein of Mecca, in order to co-ordinate the Sykes-Picot Agreement of May 1916,1 with the British commitments made previously to the Arabs.2 Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, instructed Sir Mark Sykes if possible to secure the addition of Palestine to the British area. Both the Prime Minister and Lord Curzon impressed on Sir Mark Sykes 'the importance of not prejudicing the Zionist movement and the possibility of its development under British auspices'. Sir Mark Sykes himself held the opinion 'that the Arabs probably realised that there was no prospect of their being allowed any control over Palestine'.' Therefore, Great Britain was free to dispose of Palestine as it wished. Thus, on 2 November 1917, by the 'Balfour Declaration', Great Britain committed itself to the establishment of the Jewish National Home in Palestine.4 Sir Mark Sykes drew up a political plan by which an Arab Kingdom would be established in areas 'A' and 'B' as had been designated in the Sykes-Picot Agreement, namely, the interior of Syria and the area east of the Jordan.5 The military organization of war against the Ottoman Empire determined that there be a division of the Hijaz theatre of war and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (hereafter EEF) theatre of war. The line of separation ran from a point south of Akaba to a point south of Ma'an.6 Trans-Jordan and Syria were reserved as sub-theatres of war for the operations of the Arab Army headed by Prince Faisal, son of the Sherif Hussein of Mecca, subject to the supreme command of the Commander in Chief of the EEF. Palestine was designated the main theatre of war for the EEF. The organization of war drew up a sketch map separating Trans-Jordan from the Hijaz and Trans-Jordan from Palestine. At that time, the term 'Palestine' meant 'Palestine proper i.e. the area west of the Jordan-Dead Sea-Akaba line and south of the Lebanon, which forms the Sanjak of