ln419- oh yes, the British had their sticky little Empire fingers in all sorts of Middle Eastern pies in the early 1900s through WW I up to post-WW II.
*rolls up her Egyptian archaeologist/ancient historian sleeves*
The modern Middle East, as we know it, is almost a complete creation of the colonial powers from the Victorian/post-Ottoman Empire period. The British and the French had a large hand in creating many of the modern states that we currently know (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc.). Lawrence of Arabia (or T.E. Lawrence) wasn't simply a freedom fighter, but he was a British agent (as well as an archaeologist). Gertrude Bell was an immensely influential British woman (and, basically, a British agent) who had fairly HUGE dealings with certain kingdoms (such as Iraq - she was a confidente of King Faisal of Iraq in a time when women didn't have that much influence - let alone in a Islamic area!) in the early 20th century (she died in 1926). Archaeologists, like Leonard Wooley, also surveyed and mapped large swaths of the Middle East (desert & habitation areas) not only in the name of archaeology, but their maps were also used by their governments for wartime (a la the English Patient). The French and the English were also strong influences in North Africa, especially Egypt. And in WWII some of the large battles between Germany and the Allies were fought in North Africa & Egypt (such as at El Alamein). Germany and Italy also meddled in the Middle East/Africa in the period around WW I and WW II. Part of the issues that we, as a global community, have now stem from this time period (post-Ottoman/ World War I period), because some of the lands that were created have artificial boundaries that did not naturally exist pre-Ottoman Empire (discovery of OIL helped a bit!!), which has resulted in tensions within the countries with their populaces. The ancient civilisations that lived in this area and their political boundaries didn't always naturally mesh with the modern political boundaries (except for countries like Egypt & Turkey (and sort of Lebanon & Jordan), which had more natural boundaries, which is why they are normally -except for the influences of Arab spring and Mubarak- fairly stable). I am *NOT* addressing any issues re: modern religion, I am speaking re: purely politcal boundary terms only, although some conflicts between Islamic sects have also created issues, which we have seen in situations like the Kurds in Iraq and Sunnis versus Shi'ites. And yes, the British were very involved in the Syro-Palestinian area in the WW I & WW II eras.
ln419- if you're interested in learning about Gertrude Bell and some of the British influence in the ME as a whole, here is a good article.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc ... iraq/5893/