Churchill, Palestine and Zionism, 1904-1922 - Douglas J. Feith

236 DOUGLAS J. FEITH
are at our wits' end to find a single soldier," Churchill exclaimed to the
foreign secretary. 68
In November, General Congreve warned Churchill that, unless the
garrison for eastern Palestine were increased, British forces would not
be able to maintain order there. Congreve recommended as an economy
measure that Britain exclude from the mandate all of Palestine east of the
Jordan River.69
A few weeks later, Churchill wrote Lloyd George yet again to complain
about the impossibility of reconciling the prime minister's demands
for economy with his commitment to retain the new Middle Eastern
mandates and his antagonism to Turkey:
It seems to me a most injurious thing that we, the greatest Mohammedan Empire
in the world, sh[oul]d be the leading Anti-Turk power .... I deeply regret &
resent being forced to ask Parl[iamen]t for these appalling sums of money for new
Provinces-all the more when the pursuance of the Anti-Turk policy complicates
and aggravates the situation in everyone of them, & renders cheapers [sic]
solutions impossible. 70
It seems to me a most injurious thing that we, the greatest Mohammedan Empire
in the world, sh[oul]d be the leading Anti-Turk power .... I deeply regret &
resent being forced to ask Parl[iamen]t for these appalling sums of money for new
Provinces-all the more when the pursuance of the Anti-Turk policy complicates
and aggravates the situation in everyone of them, & renders cheapers [sic]
solutions impossible. 70
CHURCHILL AND THE MIDDLE EAST DEPARTMENT
War secretary Churchill quarreled with the foreign secretary over Turkey,
the colonial secretary over Egypt, the India secretary over Mesopotamia,
and the prime minister over all of the above. Substantive and jurisdictional
disputes among the offices of these ministers were depriving British
Middle East policy of even the semblance of coherence. Since the grim
days of the previous summer, Churchill had been recommending creation
of a new Middle East department within the government. On 31
December 1920, the cabinet agreed. It located the new department within
the colonial office. Lloyd George then offered his fractious friend Churchill
the job of colonial secretary. The latter agreed. Among his earliest
68 See WSC IV 495. In a November 23, 1920, cabinet memorandum, Churchill wrote, "The
burden of carrying out the present policy at Constantinople, in Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia
and Persia is beyond the strength of the British Army and is producing most
formidable reactions upon the Indian Army, upon which we are compelled to rely. I see
the very greatest difficulty in maintaining that situation through the new financial year
unless our military measures are aided by a policy of reconciliation and co-operation with
the Turks and the Moslem world. It is far better to do this than to give up a province
like Egypt, where we have been honourable [sic] established for so many years." WSC
IV C 1250.
69 See WSC IV 502-3. The population of eastern Palestine was 250,000 in 1920: WSC IV
C 1260 n. 1.
70 Churchill to Lloyd George, December 4,1920, in WSCIV C 1260-1 (emphasis in original).