Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The British Mandate


The Council of the League of Nations approved the British Mandate for Palestine, a document that created challenges for both Palestinians and Zionists. This included the Balfour Declaration and stressed the Jewish historical connection with Palestine. Article 2 puts power under “political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish National Home…and the development of self-governing institutions.”(5) Article 4 created a Jewish Agency that worked with the Palestine administrations. Article 6 required that the Palestine administration, “while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced,”(5) should be helping Jewish immigration into Palestine.
The Mandate unified Palestine as an independent nation for the first time in centuries, causing problems for both Arabs and Zionists.(1) Both Arab and Zionist communities realized that by the end of the mandate, the region’s future would be determined by size of population and ownership of land. Jews sought to increase immigration and land purchases, while Arabs did the opposite. Often times, disagreement often evolved into conflict and violence, and the British had to keep the peace, often with force. Tension over British rule and Zionist growth continued to escalate: several Arab and Zionist parties were formed and traditional rivalries resurfaced.(1)

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