The Mandate for Palestine - Israel July 24, 1922 The Council of the League of Nations

Diplomatic arrangements over the shape of governments in regions beset by conflict are rarely simple and straightforward. Historians are interested in these documents for what they tell us about the creation of official policy, and also because these agreements often exert a powerful influence on future events. Understanding those more recent developments often requires us to return to the earlier documents, to read them carefully, and to look for wording in those documents that might influence future events. In this exercise you are presented with one such document—the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine of July 24, 1922. The British government controlled this territory under the Mandate until 1948. Between 1922 and 1948, land rights in Palestine were hotly contested. And, they remain contested today. The conflict has been primarily between Jews and Palestinian Arabs. The Mandate for Palestine is one of the sources of this conflict. After the Mandate was created, violent conflicts between Arab groups and Zionists (those advocating for a Jewish state in Palestine) broke out in the region periodically. In the 1940's, the level of violence rose, and in 1947, the United Nations proposed to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Arab groups rejected the proposal, and on May 14, 1948, Zionist leaders proclaimed the State of Israel. After a short war between the Israeli army and the combined armies of Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, Israel won, and thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced to leave. The Task: Read the following excerpt from the Mandate for Palestine. Which phrase do you think became the most important in future disputes over Palestine, setting the precedent for the 1948 declaration of the State of Israel?

Read the Mandate  Read the following four excerpts and click on the highlighted phrases for background information and definitions. Pay attention to the language of the document. Copy and comment on the phrase that you think became the most important in future disputes over Palestine in the “Notes” box. Then, compare your response to that of a historian. The Mandate for Palestine July 24, 1922 The Council of the League of Nations  Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have agreed, for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, to entrust to a Mandatory selected by the said Powers the administration of the territory of Palestine, which formerly belonged to the Turkish Empire [click to view map], within such boundaries as may be fixed by them; and  Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have also agreed that the Mandatory should be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 2nd, 1917, by the Government of His Britannic Majesty, and adopted by the said Powers, in favor of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might 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; and  Whereas recognition has thereby been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country; and Notes: Save your notes and continue reading  Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have selected His Britannic Majesty as the Mandatory for Palestine; and  Whereas the mandate in respect of Palestine has been formulated in the following terms and submitted to the Council of the League for approval; and  Whereas His Britannic Majesty has accepted the mandate in respect of Palestine and undertaken to exercise it on behalf of the League of Nations in conformity with the following provisions; and  ...  Confirming the said mandate, defines its terms as follows:  Article 1  The Mandatory shall have full powers of legislation and of administration, save as they may be limited by the terms of this mandate.  Article 2  The Mandatory shall be responsible for placing the country under such political, administrative and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home, as laid down in the preamble, and the development of self-governing institutions, and also for safeguarding the civil and religious rights of all the inhabitants of Palestine, irrespective of race and religion.Article 3  The Mandatory shall, so far as circumstances permit, encourage local autonomy.  Article 4  An appropriate Jewish agency shall be recognized as a public body for the purpose of advising and co-operating with the Administration of Palestine in such economic, social and other matters as may affect the establishment of the Jewish national home and the interests of the Jewish population in Palestine, and, subject always to the control of the Administration, to assist and take part in the development of the country.  The Zionist organization, so long as its organization and constitution are in the opinion of the Mandatory appropriate, shall be recognized as such agency. It shall take steps in consultation with His Britannic Majesty’s Government to secure the cooperation of all Jews who are willing to assist in the establishment of the Jewish national home.  ...  Article 6  The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the rights and position of other sections of the population are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in co-operation with the Jewish agency referred to in Article 4, close settlement by Jews, on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes.  Article 7  The Administration of Palestine shall be responsible for enacting anationality law. There shall be included in this law provisions framed so as to facilitate the acquisition of Palestinian citizenship by Jews who take up their permanent residence in Palestine.  ...  Article 15  The Mandatory shall see that complete freedom of conscience and the free exercise of all forms of worship, subject only to the maintenance of public order and morals, are ensured to all. No discrimination of any kind shall be made between the inhabitants of Palestine on the ground of race, religion or language. No person shall be excluded from Palestine on the sole ground of his religious belief.  ...  Done at London the twenty-fourth day of July, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-two.  Historian’s Commentary: The repetition in the preamble and through the rest of the Mandate of the phrase “Jewish national home” is clear and unequivocal. By mentioning the historical connection of the Jews to the territory and notmentioning that of the Arabs, this statement implies that only the Jews had such a connection. This language repeats the language of the Balfour Declaration and reflects a longstanding British commitment to Zionism. Though the Mandate requires the Jewish leaders of any “Jewish national home” to respect the religious practice of non-Jews living there, it makes no mention of Arab political representation. Guarantees of religious freedom are not the same thing as guarantees of full and free access to the political and economic life of the state. Arguments about the rights of people to govern a territory often revolve around the question of “who was here first?” Though subsequent events, such as World War II and the shifting balance of world power, also played a role in the 1948 proclamation of the State of Israel for the Jews, discussion of the “Jewish national home” in the 1922 Mandate for Palestine gave the Jews a clear advantage in any subsequent discussion about sovereignty over Palestine.

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