British Mandate Rule in Palestine

  • British Troops enter Jerusalem

    In order to drive out the Turkish occupying forces
  • Period: to

    British mandate rule in Palestine

  • WW1 ends

  • Versailles Peace Conference

    Balfour declaration says a Jewish homeland takes precedence over the wishes of the Arab majority
    Chaim Weizmann- "to make Palestine Jewish as England is English"
  • Haganah set up

    1920s, Jewish defence force, later forms the basis of the Israeli army
  • Violence in Jaffa

    Jaffa was the main port for Jewish immigrants
    Riots erupt in Tel Aviv between rival Jewish gangs.
    After 2 days of rioting, 200 Jews and 120 Arabs dead or wounded
  • League of Nations confirms Britain is responsible for establishing a Jewish homeland under British pressure

  • Violence breaks out in Jerusalem

    Arabs attack Jews inside and outside the city, it spread over four days
    116 Arabs killed mostly by British police, 133 Jews killed
  • Hitler came to power in Germany

    Antisemitism causes many Jews to move abroad, Thousands fled to Palestine and by 1939 there were almost 450,000 Jews there
  • Arab committee calls for a general strike of all Arab workers

    Including government employees. Largely unsuccessful, as workers were just replaced by Jews, and Arabs lost influence on government policy.
  • Higher Arab committee formed

    Due to increasing desperation of the Arabs.
    "a committee of Palestinian Arab leaders. Attempted to direct the Arab rebellion. Composed of different, often rival factions."
  • Palestinian Arab revolt 1936

    British soldiers killed by Arabs who flee to French controlled Syria.
  • British Partition plan

    Report in Peel commission recommended that Palestine would be best split into 2 states, one Jewish and one Arab, which the Arabs and Jews rejected
  • Irgun, Zionist organisation forms

  • British White Paper

    Fear of Nazi alliance with Arab leader. Oil still a worry so the government issues a special "white paper," which declared Britain wanted an independent Palestine within 10 years an restrict Jewish immigration, while keeping Palestine as one state.
  • Biltmore Declaration

    American Zionist conference calls for a Jewish commonwealth, in all of Palestine
  • Jewish extremists declare war on Britain

  • Zionist conference

    Decided on an active policy of opposition of British rule in Palestine. Stern gang, Irgun and Haganah alliance is formed.
  • 6 British soldiers murdered by Jewish extremists

  • Attack on the King David Hotel

    Conducted by Irgun, explosives used, 88 people killed, including jews. American Zionists and (secretly) the French supplied Irgun 2 million dollars for the attack, for "men, guns and money."
  • President Truman calls for the immediate entry of 10,000 Jewish refugees to Palestine

    Later supports the separation of Palestine
  • Higher Arab committee calls for a strike

    Violence against Jews occurs.
  • Hanging of 2 British soldiers as revenge for the execution of 3 Irgun members

  • Un vote for the partition of Palestine

    the resolution was passed with 33 votes in favour, 13 against, and 10 abstentions.
  • Deir Yassin

    The majority Arab town, Deir Yassin was attacked by Irgun. 245 inhabitants killed, as Irgun believed it was an Arab headquarters.
  • British withdraw from Palestine