Resources

1897:
First Zionist Congress

Held in Basel, Switzerland, and attended by influential European Jews, this inaugural conference marks the birth of the idea of creating a national Jewish homeland. Subsequently, leaders in the Zionist movement started lobbying England and other European nations to support their ideas.

1903:
Sixth Zionist Congress

Under the Uganda Proposal, the British government offered to allocate land to the Zionists in modern-day Kenya to establish the Jewish state. After a 295-178 vote in favor, the conference sent a 3-man commission to investigate the high plateau area and report back. Ultimately, by 1905 and the Seventh Zionist Congress, the controversial proposal was formally rejected for a multitude of reasons, including resistance from indigenous East Africans and especially other white European settlers.

1916:
Sykes-Picot Agreement

Anticipating winning WWI (1914-1918), England and France, with assent from Russia, drafted a secret agreement to divide the area then known as Greater Syria into four countries: Palestine and Transjordan under British control, Lebanon and Syria under French control. The indigenous Arab population’s aspirations for self-determination and unity and independence were totally disregarded.

1917:
Balfour Declaration

Arthur James Balfour, acting on behalf of the British government, communicated the following Cabinet-approved official declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations:

“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

Britain’s eventual control of Palestine facilitated the implementation of the Balfour Declaration, which despite the explicit understanding to respect the rights of non-Jews in Palestine, ultimately led to the exact opposite outcome: dispossession and expulsion of Palestinians from their ancestral homeland, setting in motion over a century of conflict and wars.

1920:
British Colonization of Palestine

Britain assumed control of Palestine through a League of Nations mandate and began directly facilitating the immigration and settlement of mostly European Jews. Between 1920 and 1940, over 100,000 Jews entered the country. The British also facilitated the influx of arms and the training of Jewish immigrants, while violently repressing any form of Palestinian resistance.

1920-1946:
Jewish immigration to Palestine

Between 1920 and 1946, because of direct support of the British colonial power and the financial support of the Jewish National Fund, the percentage of Jews in Palestine steadily increased from 11% in 1922, to 17% by 1931, and to 30% by 1946.

1936-1939:
Great Palestinian Revolt

The Palestinians launched a country-wide protest against the British colonial administration demanding independence, an end to British colonial rule, and a halt to Jewish immigration to Palestine. The British succeeded in crushing this revolt, killing more than 5,000 and wounding more than 15,000 Palestinians.

1946:
United Nations

Because of the continued unrest, resistance, and conflict in Palestine, the British government decided to hand over the “problem” to the United Nations to resolve.