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'Memorandum on British Commitments to King Husein' [‎106r] (9/20)

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The record is made up of 10 folios. It was created in 1918. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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With reofard to Talestiiie, His Majesty's Government are committed by Sir H.
McMahon's letter to theSherif on the 24th October, 1915, to its inclusion in the boundaries
of Arab indeperHfMice. But they have stated their policy regarding the Palestinian
Holy Places and Zionist colonisation in their message to him of the 4th January, 1918 :— 17
" That so far as Palestine is concerned, we are determined that no people shall
be subjected to another, but that in view of the fant :
" (a.) That there are in Palestine shrines, Wakfs, and Holy Places, sacred in
some cases to Moslems alone, to Jews alone, to Christians alone, and in others to two
or all three, and inasmuch as these places are of interest to vast masses of people
outside Palestine and Arabia, there must be a special regime to deal wirh these
places approved of by the world.
" (h.) That as regards the Mosque of Omar, it shall be considered as a Moslem
concern alone, and shall not be subjected directly or indirectly to any non-Moslem
authority.
" That since the Jewish opinion of the world is in favour of a return of Jews
to Palestine, and inasmuch as this opinion must remain a constant factor, and
further, as His Majesty's Government view with favour the realisation of this
aspiration. His Majesty's Government are determined that in so far as is compatible
with the freedom of the existing population, both economic and political, no obstacle
should be put in the way of the realisation of this ideal,"
This message was delivered personally to King Husein by Commander Hogarth,
and the latter reported on his reception of it as follows :—
"The King would not accept an independent Jewish State in Palestine, nor
was T instructed to warn him that such a State was contemplated by Great
Britain. He probably knows nothing of the actual or possible economy of
Palestine, and his ready assent to Jewish settlement there is not worth very
much. But I think he appreciates the financial advantage of Arab co-operation
with the Jews."
Finally, it may be noted that King Husein was violently disturbed by the
allusions to the Anglo-French Agreement of the lOth May, 1916, made in a speech by
Jemal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. at L>eirout on the 30r,h November, 1917, and reported in No. 101 ot* the
" Mustakbal, of Paris. |s Jemal represented that Great Britain and France would so
interpret their special position in Mesopotamia and Syria respectively as to confine
King Husein's effective power to the Hejaz. In view of the King's attitude towards
this question recorded above, the effect upon him of JemaTs insinuation was
inevitable.
Relation of Commitments regarding Mesopotamia under (iv.) to British Desiderata.
Area —His Majesty's Government stipulated for "special measures of administra
tive control" in Basra and Bagdad vilayets. The Sberif, in his final statement on
the subject on the 1st January, 191G, referred to Irak, which is equivalent.
N.B.—In November, Faroki talked to Sir Mark Sykes about a special position for
Great Britain in " Mesopotamia,' and the same word is used in Sir Mark Sykes
report of the Sherif's message to him on the 20th May, 1917.
It is not clear whether this is simply a rendering of Irak or is intended to
include Jezireh.
Terms. —Sherif Husein laid down no terms except a monetary compensation to
himself (as representing the Arab Confederation) for the duration of the British
control. He left the fixing of the amount to His Majesty's Government. His
Majesty's Government have not committed themselves to such payment or to any other
condition.
Duration. —Throughout the negotiations the Sherit assumed that this would be
limited, and it is clear from his conversation with Captain Lawrence that he regards it as
understood that it shall be short. His Majesty's Government, on their side, have
committed themselves to no time limit whatsoever.
(v.) Relation of Slier if Husein to Great Britain.
In his first letter of July, 1915, Sherif Husein proposed that Great Britain
should enjoy priority of economic enterpiise throughout the territory included withm
17 245810/18. is 123868 /18 : King Husein'!? letter of the 5th June, 1918, to Sir R. Wingate.
[8a3] . D

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Content

This is a printed memorandum outlining British commitments made to King Husein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] compiled by the Political Intelligence Department of the Foreign Office. The memorandum is split into seven sections as follows: 'General Guarantees against the Restoration of the status quo'; 'Guarantees regarding the Moslem [Muslim] Holy Places'; 'Boundaries of Arab Independence'; 'Foreign Administration of Irak [Iraq], Syria and Palestine'; 'Relation of Sherif Husein to Great Britain'; 'Sheif Husein's Title'; and 'The Caliphate'. References to various sources, including Foreign Office correspondence, the Meccan El Qibla [al-Qiblah] newspaper and La Verité sur la question syrienne (Fourth Turkish Army Command: Stamboul, 1916), are made in the text and in footnotes.

Extent and format
10 folios
Physical characteristics

Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 102 and terminates at folio 111, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between folios 11-158; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.

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English and French in Latin script
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'Memorandum on British Commitments to King Husein' [‎106r] (9/20), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B292, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023608756.0x00000a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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