From Balfour to Revolt: British commitment to the Balfour Declaration and the Arab Revolt in Palestine, 1936-1939

Abstract

The issuing of the White Paper in May 1939 set limits to the immigration of Jews to the British Mandate for Palestine and stated that in five years time the British would be under no obligation to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish National Home. This paper explores the role the Arab Revolt (1936-1939) played in leading to end this commitment to the Jewish National Home, first adopted in the Balfour Declaration (1917). It argues that the Arab Revolt forced the British to confront their rejection of Palestinian self-determination and loosing standing in the eyes of neighboring Arab states, exactly at a time in which it most needed to ensure its imperial interests in the region.