The End of the Empire and Turkish-Arab Relations With the
occupation of Damascus and the rest of Syria by the Anglo-Arab
forces in October 1918 and the Ottoman surrender at the Mudros
cease-fire at the end of that month, it became clear that the
İstanbul government had lost its hold on the Arab provinces.
What was less certain was the future of the Arab regions.
Ottoman armies withdrew, exposing differences among former
allied powers, among the various Arab factions, as well as
between the Arabs and Britain and France. In İstanbul the Talat
Pasha government resigned on 8 October. The new cabinet under
Ahmed İzzet Pasha pledged to settle the question of the Arab
provinces in accordance with the “national will” of the Arabs.
The proposal to maintain these provinces within the empire by
granting internal autonomy was received by the Arab deputies
with cheers. Turkish and Arab deputies referred to the religious
bonds that united the two groups. British proposals for a cease-
fire in October 1918 suggested the esta