british palestine mandate | arab revolt | zionism | jewish immigration

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1. World War 1, Palestine & Origins of Mandate

2. The Palestine Mandate

Key Documents

3. Living under the Mandate

Arab Communities Under the Mandate
The Arab Revolt
Jewish Community under the Mandate
The British in Palestine

4. The End of the Mandate

Zionism

Jewish immigration
Land Question
Zionist resistance to British & growing violence
Failure of the Mandate

5. Documents & Key Resources

other related casahistoria sites

The Middle East:

Middle East Conflicts: Home Page

British mandate in Palestine

Arab-Israeli conflict, 1947-79

The British in Mesopotamia/Iraq

Iraq, Hussein, the west & w ar

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Due to the very polarised nature of this topic, users are advised to consider carefully the provenance of the links included as well as their content. The links included here are an attempt to provide items of value where partiality is least. Several resources have been excluded due to their bias obscuring the value to a historian.

1. World War 1, Palestine & Origins of Mandate

World War I and the Early Mandate Period 1914 - 1929 detailed Timeline as a teaching resource from Ted Thornton, Northfield Mount Hermon School

Turkish Palestine Map of Ottoman administrative areas in 1914. From MidEastWeb

The Middle East and the West: WWI and Beyond Basic intro by NPR. Has audio & video links.

The Real 'Lawrence of Arabia' Putting the Man and His Myth Into Historical Context Article by Jacki Lyden for NPR. Has audio & video links. See also: online text of Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Arab Nationalism and World War I US Library of Congress Outline Country Study from Helen Chapin Metz, 1988.

Diplomacy

1915 McMahon letter to Hussein Acting on behalf of the British Government, Sir Henry McMahon promised Sherif Hussein of Mecca, Arab control over the whole of areas to be liberated from Turkey, except an area to the West of Syria to prevent German influence in the area. From Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Questions:

What was the Hussein-McMahon correspondence?

Was Palestine included in the territory designated for Arab control in the Hussein-McMahon correspondence?

What was the 1916 Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire?

1915 Hussein-McMahon letters

1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Question:

Did the Sykes-Picot agreement contradict British promises made to the Arabs in the Hussein-McMahon correspondence?

Balfour Declaration

1917 Balfour Declaration from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Questions:

How, according to the 1922 British White Paper, did the British Government interpret the meaning of the Balfour Declaration's affirmation of a "national home for the Jewish People?"

Did the British have the Right to promise "the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people"?

British support for restoration of the Jews Historical commentary by Ami Isseroff examining the philosophical and literary background to the Balfour declaration. For MidEastWeb

Edwin Montagu - Opposition to the Balfour Declaration - Montagu, the only Jew in the British cabinet, was a bitter opponent of the Balfour declaration. In August of 1917, he presented the government with a referendum claiming that the declaration was "anti-Semitic" and would result in the expulsion of Jews from Europe. From the Zionism and Israel Information Center

1919 Weizmann/Feisal Agreement from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Question:

What was the outcome of the 1919 Weismann - Feisal Agreement?

1919 King-Crane Commission from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Question:

Should the King-Crane Report have been implemented?

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2. The Palestine Mandate

General

1919: League of Nations Covenant Mandate Provision - The basis of the Mandate for Palestine given to Great Britain in 1922. Text and commentaries from MidEastWeb

The British Mandate in Palestine Basic intro article from Middle East Research and Information Project

British Control: Mandate Palestine Two useful maps of the early mandate period. From the BBC.

Events in Palestine,1908-48 US Library of Congress Outline Country Study from Helen Chapin Metz, 1988.

Arab Nationalism

World War I

The Arab Community During the Mandate

The Jewish Community under the Mandate

The Palestinian Revolt

World War II

The Holocaust

The Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem 1917-1948 Part of the United Nations collection on Palestine. Contains a detailed look at the various policies and commissions during the British Mandate. Excellent overview of the political history of British Palestine. (Not in pages so readers need to scroll down through the document if looking for information near the end of the Mandate.)

What was the origin of the Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine? Key question from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion.

What Are the Origins of the Middle East Crisis? By Michael Oren, senior fellow at the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem-based research center. He heads the Middle East history project. This is the first chapter in Michael Oren's Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East which examines in particular the role of the British mandate.

1920 British Mandate From Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Questions:

What was the British Mandate?

Were the British responsible for failing to establish Arab self-governing institutions in Palestine?

Did the British neglect the interests of the Palestinian Arabs under the mandate?

Key Documents on the Mandate period

1937 Peel Commission from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Questions:

What was the 1937 Peel Commission?

Did the 1937 Peel Commission create an acceptable partition plan in its final report?

British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine, prepared by the British Mandate for UN prior to proposing the 1947 partition plan. This is the official book produced by Government of Palestinian (British Mandate) for the years of 1944-1945 which was prepared by the British Mandate for the United Nation Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) in 1946. These three volumes are easily accessible from this page and contain a wealth of information about Palestine until the end of 1946. Included detailed historical summary as well as covering all sectors of life (such as population, land, economy, immigration, ...etc). Excellent for detailed research and looking for stats but remember it was prepared by Britain almost as its own end-of-term report for the UN....

British Rule Briefly introduced list of key sources from the period by the Jewish Agency for Israel.

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3. Living under the Mandate

The British Mandate, 1921-3 [map] by the Jewish Virtual Library.org

Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate Excellent overview article about the British Mandate by historian Tom Segev. The article covers all aspects of the IB unit on the Palestine Mandate but the main focus is on the administrative practices of the British administration. Also read this review of his Segev's full book.

Jews and Arabs in Palestine, to 1939 Overview essay by Frank E. Smitha as part of his World History site

British Mandate Period 1920-1948. An interesting view by Cactus 48, a non Zionist Jewish interpretation more sympathetic to the Palestinian perspective of events during and after the Mandate. Uses quotes and source extracts in Q&A format to explore key questions. But remember, like all printed Q&A's, the responses are being (pre)selected by the author for you.

Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948. Online book by Zachary Lockman looks at relations between the two communities (well set out and indexed to help you find what you need). Chapter 6 is on the 1936-39 Arab Revolt. Univ of California Press, 1996

Population History and Statistics of the Late Ottoman Period and the Mandate Useful review article of Justin McCarthy's book which looks at population movements during the mandate.

Maps with statistical data for Palestine at the end of the mandate:

Map of Population Distribution by Ethnicity 1946

Population of Palestine before 1948

Map of Land Ownership in Palestine 1945

Early Arab-Jewish Conflict Key question from Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Questions:

What was the origin of the Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine?

What were the Arab-Jewish conflicts of 1920 and 1921?

What were the 1929 Arab riots?

What were the Arab Revolts of 1936 - 1939?

Has the Israeli-Palestinian region been continually inhabited either by Jews or Arabs?

Arab Communities Under the Mandate

The Arab Community During the Mandate Outline from U.S. Library of Congress but amended by by the Jewish Virtual Library.org to cross link key words (Original U.S. Library of Congress edition)

Palestinians and the British Mandate. Photocopied (not very well but readable) chapter on the British mandate from the book "The Iron Cage" by historian Rashid Khalidi , a leading expert on the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, brings perspective to Palestinian attempts to achieve independence and statehood.

The Growth of Palestinian Arab Identity Useful essay on the early background by Ami Isseroff for the MidEastWeb Links to further articles at the end.

Arab Nationalism and the Palestinians (1850-1939) Online book examines in detail (but well set out and indexed to help you find what you need) the emergence of Arab nationalism. By Dr. Abdelaziz Ayyad, Assistant Professor of Contemporary and Modern History of the Middle East and Europe at Birzeit University, Birzeit, West Bank and issued by PASSIA (The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem)

       The 1936-39 Arab Revolt

The Arab Revolt in Palestine Well linked and detailed Zionist account from Zionism and Israel Information Center

The 1936–1939 Revolt in Palestine A Palestinian point of view by Ghassan Kanafani.

The First Intifada: Rebellion in Palestine 1936 - 1939 A view from British historian Charles Townshend. Unfortunately, now pay per view from History Today site

The "Yishuv" The Jewish Community under the Mandate

Yishuv Definition from Wikipedia

The Jewish Community under the Mandate Outline from U.S. Library of Congress but amended by by the Jewish Virtual Library.org to cross link key words (Original U.S. Library of Congress edition)

Yearning for the Old Yishuv Director of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem looks to find the Jeusalem of his grandparents. Jerusalem Post, 2007

Growing Up in Palestine During the British Mandate 2001 personal account from The Jewish Magazine.

Hitler's holocaust plan for Jews in Palestine stopped 2006 Article from the UK Independent by Allan Hall in Berlin which argues how Hitler's plan to conduct a holocaust of Jews living in Palestine during the Second World War was ended by the British victory at El Alamein.

Rauff vs. the Yishuv 2007 article from Haaretz on German documents showing that a team headed by Walter Rauff planned to exterminate the Yishuv, the Jewish community of Palestine, after capturing the country from the British.

The British in Palestine

British life in Palestine Intriguing site of links to articles by Britons who lived under the Mandate about their everyday life. Includes items as diverse as: Soccer in Safad 1943, Tales from a Palestinian Childhood, Ambush 1948.

Britain's Small Wars Palestine Site Many short, illustrated articles on the British Forces in Palestine during the Mandate including personal accounts.

Mandate Days: British Lives in Palestine 1918-1948, Perceptive detailed review of 2001 book of A. J. Sherman associate fellow of St. Antony's College, Oxford, which tells us about the lives and reflections of the British civil servants, military officers, policemen, school teachers and other English living in Palestine during the mandate. However the review des much more drawing attention to the lessons learnt by Zionists and Palestinians from the British which contribute to the intractability of the problem.

Palestine Police Archive Documents from the UK National Archive.

PC Lawrence McDonald's Photo Album. Interesting series of photos from an ex policeman

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4. The End of the Mandate

Zionism

Zionism - Definition and Early History Very useful and thorough essay on the background, key issues and analysis by Ami Isseroff for the MidEastWeb. Links to further related articles at the end.

Zionism (Jewish Nationalism) From Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site. Click to read a balance of important topic documents/sources on the Question to provide material to help come to a conclusion. Questions:

What is Zionism?

What are the origins of Zionism?

What are the Protocols of the Elders of Zion?

Was Palestine a "land without a people?"

The Jews facsimile copy of David Ben Gurion article in the Palestine Post, 15 July 1937

Jewish immigration

Postwar Refugee Crisis and the Establishment of the State of Israel Brief article from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum showing the process by which Europe's Jewish refugees moved to Palestine after 1945.

     Aliyah Aleph: legal immigration

British Restrictions on Jewish Immigration By Mitchell Bard. Article with stats from the Jewish Virtual Library

Aliyah Bet List 1: 1934-1945 includes pictures and details of the boats of Aliyah Bet, ports of origin, dates of sailing, dates of arrival in Palestine and the number of immigrants on board.
     Aliyah Bet: illegal immigration
Aliyah Bet Useful item from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. See also Refugees and Postwar Refugee Crisis and the Establishment of the State of Israel from same site.

Articles from the very committed North American Volunteers In Israel's War of Independence site:

Twelve Ships Acquired in North America & Pictorial History: Rescue Fleet is Launched Ship details/outlines/photos

Facing the British Blockade with Rusty Ships by Elihu Bergman as part of the History of Aliyah Bet section

Exodus Ship

The Haganah Ship "Exodus 1947" University of Hamburg site on the Voyage. Good diary layout.

exodus1947 Site dedicated to the ship. Has interesting video newsreel of British camps and siezure of the ship. Also links to radio broadcasts of the time.

"Exodus 47" US NPR Radio broadcast on the journey of the Exodus. Well presented site includes interactive map of journey.

Interview with Ruth Gruber Interview transcript/podcast with journalist who covered the passage of the Exodus.

The Real Exodus When the tale of Jewish illegal immigrants sailing for Palestine was turned into a bestselling book and film, it came to symbolise the birth of a nation. Sixty years on, Linda Grant separates fact from fiction.

Aliyah Bet List 2: 1945-1948 includes pictures and details of the boats of Aliyah Bet, ports of origin, dates of sailing, dates of arrival in Palestine and the number of immigrants on board.

Why did the British oppose Jewish immigration to Palestine? From the viewpoint of (despite the site name) pro Zionist Palestine facts site. Contains sufficient useful information to be used with care.

Documents show UK post-WWII dilemna over Jewish refugees AP article on 2008 documents released by the British government which reveal how the UK tried to send thousands of Palestine-bound Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide back to postwar Germany without inflaming world opinion.

Land Question

Map of Jewish Settlement in Palestine before World War 1

The Land Question in Palestine Concluding Chapter from 1984 work by historian Kenneth W. Stein

The Land Question in Palestine Overview article from Zionism and Israel Information Center.

Critical Analysis Of The Birth Of The Palestinian Refugee Problem Worthwhile presentation of history of the land issue and argument by Benny Morris. Posted on the PalestineRemembered.com site

The Land Question after 1948. Useful, as it takes the Mandate period as a comparison and illustrates land before and after 1948. By Dr. Michal Oren, PASSIA, (The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem)

Embarrassing history by UPI Editor at large, Arnaud de Borchgrave (2007). Looks at Ilan Pappe's (Israeli historian), history book “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” which documents how Israel was born during/after the Mandate with lands forcibly seized from its Palestinian inhabitants who had lived there for hundreds of years. See also:

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine: George Galloway Interviews Israeli Historian Ilan Pappe. 25 minute interview by the British (openly pro Palestine) politician in a wide ranging discussion with anti-Zionist Israeli historian Ilan Pappe and Includes many callers. From George Galloway's weekend talkshow on UK's TalkSport, (15-10-06)

Map of Land Ownership in Palestine 1945

See also Palestinian diaspora from the casahistoria Arab Israeli site for further extensive links that analyse the question of ethnic cleansing and how extensive Palestinian displacement was.

Zionist resistance to the British & Growing violence

Kidnappings, Beatings, Murders and Hangings: Attacks by the Irgun and Stern Gang Short article from Britain's Small Wars Palestine Site

The Stern Gang: Ideology, Politics and Terror, 1940-1949. Useful, but complex review of the 1995 Joseph Heller book. Journal of Conflict Studies.

Lehi (Stern Gang) from the Jewish Virtual Library. Concise, cross linked.

The Haganah from the Jewish Virtual Library. Concise, cross linked.

The Irgun Site Official history of Irgun, established as a militant offshoot of Haganah. This is the English site version. It is not the most convenient to navigate.

What is the history of the Jewish Armed Forces in Mandate Palestine? Detailed chronological account adapted by Palestine Facts from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs article "From Hashomer to the Israel Defense Forces: Armed Jewish Defense in Palestine" by Me'ir Pa'il, academic director,Galili Center for Defense -"Haganah" Studies.

Failure of the Mandate

Prelude to Statehood from History of Israel by US Library of Congress Outline Country Study from Helen Chapin Metz, 1988. Examines in detail the events that led to the announcement of the Israeli State and the failure of the Mandate.

Lost Jerusalem. Short essay by Dr Robert Carr looks at Britain's failure to run the mandate. useful concise overview.

Towards Nakba: The Failure of the British Mandate of Palestine Academic Masters thesis (100+ pages) by N E Mitchell (Louisiana Univ) looks at reasons for the failure of British policy to create a bi-national Arab-Zionist state in Palestine

See the casahistoria site the Arab - Israeli Conflict 1947 - 79 for links to events after the collapse of the mandate.

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5. Documents & Key Resources

Israeli-Palestinian ProCon.org Site which attempts to present a simple, nonpartisan for and against approach to the conflict. Uses an interesting approach: Asks a key question then uses (a balance of) documents/sources to provide material to come to a conclusion. This link takes you to the overall theme index. Click on a theme for the "questions". Excellent resource.

History of the Middle East Database Use this teaching resource by to place Palestine in a geographical and cultural context. Contains histories and bibliographies of the countries in the region.

Israel and Palestine: Middle East Historical and Peace Process Source Documents Extensive listing of key documents from MidEastWeb. Good easy reference once you know where to look - below the "Trivia Quiz"..... Site also has linked timelines, brief outline histories, but the documents are the key resource. However, also worth looking at is:

Brief History of Israelis and Palestinians A capsule history of Palestine/Israel since early times. Use this for a grand overview.

Internet Modern History Sourcebook Documentary Resources on the emergence of Israel from the British mandate

Avalon Project. Extensive collection of Middle East documents

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