Jews and Arabs both had claims over Palestine.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] They would not get total control of Jerusalem.
2. [1] The land awarded to the Jews was not united in one block.
3. [1] Many of the people in the new Jewish state would be Arabs.
4. [1] There were only two areas where Jews would be in a majority of the population.
5. [1] This was because they cared about it a lot and were concerned about what was going to happen to it.
6. [1] They wanted a homeland.
7. [1] They thought there were signs that they would be awarded Palestine as a homeland.
8. [1] The issue of Palestine was bound to reach a climax after the war: would there be an Arab state or a Jewish one?
9. [1] The Arab League was founded to run a campaign for an Arab state.
10. [1] There was a danger that Palestine might be split up and a Jewish state established.
11. [Explanation L3] At the end of the war Arabs thought they would be given a homeland in Palestine. They were very hopeful of this because of the British White Paper which was published in 1939. There was also talk of an Arab state during the Second World War. The Arabs had long hoped for their own country and they believed that they now had a real chance of achieving it, especially since, after a long hard war, Britain was no longer in a position to keep a large empire.
12. [1] I think this was the main reason why Britain withdrew, although there were other important reasons that the British government had to take notice of.
13. [1] Jewish organisations such as Irgun and the Haganah conducted a terror campaign in Palestine killing many British soldiers.
14. [1] The attack on the King David Hotel killing nearly 100 people turned public opinion in Britain in favour of Britain leaving Palestine.
15. [1] Britain had tried to hold talks to find a solution in Palestine but had failed.
16. [1] There was pressure from the USA for Britain to leave.
17. [1] American politicians were under pressure to persuade Britain to leave Palestine.
18. [Explanation L3 (Jewish insurgency)] I agree with this. Jews mounted a campaign of terror during 1946–48 in Palestine against the British and Arabs. Hundreds of British soldiers were killed and there were attacks on transport systems and airfields. Jewish organisations, like Irgun, kidnapped British soldiers and laid mines. The worst incident was in 1946 when the King David Hotel was bombed and 92 people were killed, including Britons, Arabs and Jews. The British government could not let this go on and there was pressure in Britain to leave Palestine. As a result of the terror campaign, Britain handed the issue of Palestine over to the UN in 1947 and British troops left in 1948.
19. [Explanation L3 (US pressure)] I think the main reason Britain left Palestine was pressure from the USA. Britain's decision to stay in Palestine after the Second World War was unpopular in the USA and when Britain started to limit Jewish immigration into Palestine, pressure from America on Britain to leave increased. There was a strong Jewish lobby in the USA and elections were due so Truman had to take notice of Jewish demands. He put pressure on the British government to accept a two-state solution and get out.