ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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The 1939 White Paper, also known as the Palestine Statement of Policy and MacDonald White Paper () is a policy paper published by the Government of the United Kingdom, led by Neville Chamberlain, in response to the great Arab revolt of 1936-1939 in proxies. After his formal approval in the House of Commons on the 19th century, he served as the governing policy for Palestine as agent of 1939 when the British left in 1948. After the war, the mandate was given to the United Nations.

This policy, first drafted in , is prepared by the British Government unilaterally following the failure of the . The document calls for the establishment of a Jewish national home in an independent Palestinian state within 10 years, rejecting the idea of partition of Palestine proposed by the Peel Commission. It also limits Jewish immigration to five years and stipulates that the continuation of immigration will then be determined by the Arab majority (section II). Jews can only purchase Arab land on 5 per cent of the territory of the Mandate (section III).

This proposal does not meet the political requirements proposed by Arab representatives at the London conference and is officially rejected by representatives of the Arab parties of Palestine, acting under the influence of Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, but the more moderate Arab opinion, represented by the National Defence Party, is ready to accept the White Paper.

The Palestinian Zionist groups immediately rejected the white paper, which lasted several months. On May 18, a general Jewish strike was launched.

Land transfer regulations and immigration limitation clauses are implemented, but by the end of the five years, in 1944, only planned immigration was used. In these circumstances, the British propose to continue immigration beyond the 1944 deadline, at a monthly rate, until the remaining quota is reached. From the end of the mandate in 1948, additional for Jewish immigrants were awarded each month. The main provisions were never finally implemented, first because of the cabinet's opposition after the change of government and then because of the concerns of the Second World War.

Background

During World War I, the British made two promises concerning territories in the Middle East. Britain promised the Hashemite governors of Arabia, through Lawrence of Arabia and the McMahon-Hussein correspondence, the independence of an Arab country united in Syria in exchange for their support to the British against the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Caliphate declared a military jihad for the Germans, and the British hope that an alliance with the Arabs will reduce the risk of a general uprising of Muslims in the territories