Ep. 10: The History: From Sykes-Picot to the Arab Revolt (1936-1939) (Prof. Dr. Victor Kattan – University of Nottingham)

Guest: Prof. Victor Kattan, Assistant Professor of Public International Law, University of Nottingham Hosts: Yusuf & Efe Bio: Victor Kattan is Assistant Professor of Public International Law at Nottingham and Deputy Director of the Nottingham International Law and Security Centre. He is a leading scholar of Mandate-era international law, having advised the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department and provided testimony to the UK Parliament and UN bodies. He has taught at Yale-NUS College, NUS Law, and SOAS, and serves on the editorial board of the Asian Journal of International Law and as Area Editor for the Middle East and Islam for Oxford Bibliographies of International Law. His scholarship, including a monograph, four edited books, and 30+ articles, has been cited by the ICJ, ICC, and international organizations. In this episode: We explore the British Mandate for Palestine (1917–1948) and its impact on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Prof. Kattan examines the Mandate’s legal and political foundations — including the Sykes–Picot Agreement, the Balfour Declaration, and the League of Nations system. He then discusses key developments under the Mandate: the Arab Revolt, the growth of Zionist institutions under Mandate law, limits on Palestinian rights, British immigration and land policies, and Palestinian political movements. The discussion shows how law, empire, and resistance shaped the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. This episode was recorded on July 25, 2025. Links: Prof. Dr. Victor Kattan: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/people/victor.kattan Sykes-Picot Agreement: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/232358BACBEB7B55852571100078477C.pdf Balfour Declaration: https://www1.udel.edu/History-old/figal/Hist104/assets/pdf/readings/14balfour.pdf Hussein-McMahon Correspondence: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-199699/ League of Nations Mandate: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/leagcov.asp Mandate for Palestine (1922): https://content.ecf.org.il/files/M00301%20-%20Text%20of%20the%20British%20Mandate%20for%20Palestine%20(1922).pdf Please also check out our other episodes to explore multiple perspectives. Disclaimer: Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.