What is the overview of the Mandate Period?
Geographical Distribution of the Mandate
In 1920, following the defeat of the Turks, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the peace conferences after World War I, the British Mandate for Palestine was created by the League of Nations. The Mandate was international recognition for the stated purpose of “establishing in Palestine a national home for the Jewish people.” (See What was the British Mandate?.)
The area of the Mandate was originally 118,000 square kilometers (about 45,000 square miles). In 1921, Britain took the 91,000 square kilometers of the Palestine Mandate east of the Jordan River, and created Trans-Jordan (later the Arab country of Jordan) as a new Arab protectorate. Jews were barred by law from living or owning property east of the Jordan river, even though that land was over three-fourths of the original Mandate.
In 1923, Britain ceded the Golan Heights (another 1,176 square kilometers of the Palestine Mandate) to the French Mandate of Syria. Jews were also barred from living there. Jewish settlers on the Golan Heights were forced to abandon their homes and relocate inside the western area of the British Mandate.
The total remaining area of the Mandate for Palestine, after these land deductions, was just under 26,000 square kilometers (about 10,000 square miles). The southern part of the Mandate – the desert of the Negev – was also closed by the British to Jewish settlement. The area was inhabited by 15,000 roaming Bedouins, and had no Jewish or Arab settlements in it.
The balance of the Mandate, the inhabited part of Palestine, and only the part west of the Jordan, was just 14,000 square kilometers. Jewish immigration was limited by the British from time to time, especially after the periods of Arab riots and severely restricted after 1939. At the same time, Arab immigration was not restricted or even recorded. By 1948, when the State of Israel was founded, 1.8 million people lived the western area of the Mandate, estimated to be 600,000 Jews and 1.2 million Arabs. Following the war between the Jews and the Arabs in 1948, the inhabited areas of the 14,000 square kilometers were divided along cease-fire lines between Israel and Jordan/Egypt. 8,000 square kilometers, or 57% of the reduced area (which is only 6.7% of the original Mandate territory), became Israel. The rest of the area of western Palestine, 5,700 square kilometers of historic Judea and Samaria, was annexed by Jordan – and renamed the West Bank – while 360 square kilometers were occupied by Egypt and called the Gaza Strip.
Breaking this down into a table:
| Zone | Size in Sq. Km. | Percent of Total | Control in 1948 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Mandate | 118,000 | 100% | —– |
| Jordan | 91,000 | 77% | Jordan |
| Negev Desert | 11,750 | 9.9% | Israel |
| Israel (inhabited) | 8,000 | 6.7% | Israel |
| West Bank | 5,700 | 4.8% | Jordan |
| Golan Heights | 1,176 | 0.99% | Syria |
| Gaza Strip | 360 | 0.3% | Egypt |
Timeline of Key Events During the British Mandate
| 1920 | British Mandate for Palestine established by League of Nations over areas on both sides of the Jordan River |
| 1920-21 | Arab riots of 1920-1921 |
| 1922 | With first White Paper, Britain arbitrarily separates area east of Jordan River from the Palestine Mandate; Jewish settlement prohibited in almost 80% of the Mandate. |
| 1929 | Arab riots; 67 Jews massacred in Hebron |
| 1930-31 | A series of British commissions and reports fail to improve relations between Jews, Arabs and the Mandate government; restrictions on Jewish immigration and settlement gradually increased |
| 1936-39 | Arab Revolt |
| 1936-39 | A series of British commissions results in the 1939 White Paper that imposes severe restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine |
| 1939-45 | Desperate situation develops for Jews in Europe swept up by Nazi extermination plan; Britain insists on immigration limits; Jewish leadership gives up on Britain and turns to illegal immigration and violent resistance |
| 1945-46 | Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry investigates plight of Jews in Displaced Persons camps in Europe while Britain still refuses to allow immigration to Palestine |
| 1946 | British Headquarters in Jerusalem’s King David Hotel bombed by the Irgun |
| Spring 1947 | Britain transfers Palestine issue to the United Nations |
| Nov 29, 1947 | UN General Assembly Resolution 181 (Partition Plan) adopted; Arab irregular forces launch terror campaign against Jewish settlements |
| May 14, 1948 | British Mandate ends; State of Israel proclaimed; armies of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria invade the following day |
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The Jewish people got screwed again.