AHC/WI: Full British support if Zionism?

[Daniwani]

Hey, obviously, I'm pretty new here, and I don't really know how ambitious this is or if I'm experienced enough to start posting WI treads without making an arse of myself and what not. In any case, I just read a post making reference to British hostility to Zionism even after WWII, and had to wonder, what would it have been like if the Brits were all aboard right from the get go? to the point where we can decisively say the British were pushing for a Zionist state in the holy land? A POD any time in the 20th century before the founding of Israel is fine and dandy.

 

[Plumber]

Effectively, they were as Zionist as one could be pre-Holocaust. That means antisemitism was sometimes a motivating factor in getting rid of Jewish minorities. But as far as policy goes, the British were effectively as Zionist as a colonial overlord could be.

 

[Daniwani]

I had a feeling that may well be the case, It's not particularly all to plausible to have Empire builders get 100 percent behind something like Zionism. Would it be at all possible for British public opinion to have been made stronger in regards to support of an independent Jewish state in Palestine post-Holocaust?

 

[Cook]

what would it have been like if the Brits were all aboard right from the get go?

Difficult, if not impossible, because most of British foreign and colonial policy for much of the 20th century did not enjoy bipartisan support; a change of government could, and often did, lead to a radical change in colonial policy. Add to that the extensive British interests in the Arab states, interests that trumped any sympathy they may have had for the Zionist movement. You could have support for Zionism lasting longer if Lloyd-George's government remained in office longer, but even then other interests would have prevented his early offer of 'Dan to Beersheba' to the Palestine Mandate from ever becoming a reality.

 

[NKVD]

I believe the shenanigans of Irgun and Lehi contributed to British opposition to Zionism, even post-WWII.

 

[Cook]

I believe the shenanigans of Irgun and Lehi contributed to British opposition to Zionism, even post-WWII.

You are mixing up cause and effect there; the Irgun and Stern Gang were a consequence of the British administration's prohibition on further Jewish immigration to the Mandate.

 

[pdf27]

You are mixing up cause and effect there; the Irgun and Stern Gang were a consequence of the British administration's prohibition on further Jewish immigration to the Mandate.

Not particularly - as you mentioned British policy on e.g. Jewish immigration was variable beforehand. The Irgun and Stern Gang had AIUI some fairly major effects on British public opinion, making it much harder for any British government to be pro-Zionist in future. That has to have tilted the balance somewhat.