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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 37, No 15. July 3 1974
Background
Background
For four hundred years, prior to the 1914-18 War, the Middle East formed part of the Ottoman Empire, with the majority of people being Arab with small minorities of Armenians Circassions and Jews. Britain and Russia were "interested" in this part of the world, the former because it formed part of their lines of communication to their vast empires in the East, and the latter because of her desire to find access into the waterways of the world, i.e. the Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean,
Four events occured during the 1914-18 War, and immediately afterwards, which were to have far reaching effects on Palestine. They are now known as —
| a) | The Hussein-McMahon Papers; |
| b) | The Sykes-Picot Agreement; |
| c) | The Balfour Declaration; |
| d) | The World Zionist Organisation Land Claim |