Understanding the British Mandate and Its Role in Palestinian Displacement in Israel

    The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict run deep, with historical events playing a crucial role in shaping the modern-day landscape of the region. Among these pivotal events is the British Mandate for Palestine, which significantly influenced the trajectory of both Jewish and Palestinian populations. In this blog post, we will delve into what the British Mandate was and how it contributed to the displacement of Palestinians in Israel.

The British Mandate for Palestine was a legal framework established by the League of Nations in 1920, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I (Bazelon). The mandate entrusted Britain with the responsibility of governing Palestine, a territory comprising present-day Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, to facilitate the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people while also safeguarding the rights of the existing Arab population (Bazelon).

One of the key provisions of the British Mandate was the encouragement of Jewish immigration to Palestine. This policy was driven by the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in which Britain expressed support for the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine (Bazelon, Dallasheh). As a result, Jewish immigration surged during the mandate period, leading to a significant increase in the Jewish population.

The influx of Jewish immigrants into Palestine, coupled with the aspirations for a Jewish homeland, led to increased land acquisition by Jewish settlers. This process often involved the purchase of land from absentee landlords, which resulted in the displacement of Palestinian peasants and farmers who had been living on and cultivating the land for generations (Bazelon).

        Jewish families fleeing the Old City during the 1929 unrest. Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress (Bazelon)

In 1947, the United Nations proposed a partition plan that would divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as an international city (Bazelon). While Jewish leaders accepted the plan, Arab leaders rejected it, leading to further violence and ultimately culminating in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (Bazelon). The war resulted in the establishment of the state of Israel and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, marking the beginning of the Palestinian refugee crisis (Bazelon, Tamari). 

The British Mandate for Palestine played a significant role in shaping the course of history in the region. While it laid the groundwork for the establishment of the state of Israel, it also sowed the seeds of discord and displacement, leading to generations of conflict and suffering for both Israelis and Palestinians. Understanding the complexities of this historical period is essential for comprehending the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and working toward a just and lasting resolution.

Works Cited:

Bazelon, Emily. “The Road to 1948, and the Roots of a Perpetual Conflict.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/01/magazine/israel-founding-palestinian-conflict.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SU0.NypJ.mdcmioqEjWLH&bgrp=c&smid=url-share.

“British Mandate - Parallel Histories.” Parallel Histories -, 15 May 2023, parallelhistories.org.uk/british-mandate/. (picture #1)