The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence were letters between a British official and an Arab leader, Sharif Hussein of Mecca. In the letters the British promised territory, including Palestine, to the Arabs if they joined the British in the war against the Ottoman Empire.

There were several reasons behind Britain's decision to issue the McMahon Correspondence.

• ❖ The British wrote to Sharif Hussein because they believed the Arabs could help defeat the Ottoman Empire if they worked alongside Britain.
• ❖ The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire had called upon Muslims under British rule in India to rise up against their colonial masters. The British wanted to use the Arabs to overthrow the Ottoman Empire before this could happen.

Sharif Hussein believed he had been lied to by the British when he learned about other secret agreements over Palestine. He refused to recognise the Palestine Mandate or accept the Balfour Declaration.