colony · Anatolia and the Levant

Mandatory Palestine

1920 CE – 1948 CE · capital Jerusalem

The British-ruled mandate territory of Palestine, where the conflict between Jewish and Arab national movements took shape.

Origins

After the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration, Britain set up a civil government under Herbert Samuel in July 1920. The League of Nations mandate, approved in 1922, incorporated the 1917 Balfour Declaration's promise of a Jewish national home, while Transjordan was administered separately.

Rule and society

A high commissioner ruled without an elected legislature. Jewish immigration, land purchase and institutions such as the Jewish Agency and the Histadrut built the Yishuv, while Arab leaders opposed the national home. Violence erupted in 1920, 1921 and 1929, and the Arab revolt of 1936-1939 led the Peel Commission to propose partition. The 1939 White Paper limited Jewish immigration, and after 1944 Jewish groups fought the British.

Decline and legacy

Britain referred the question to the United Nations, which approved partition in November 1947. The mandate ended on 14-15 May 1948, when the State of Israel was declared and war with Arab states followed.

Lineage

Occupied Enemy Territory Administration 1917 CE – 1920 CEMandatory PalestineIsrael 1948 CE – present State of Palestine 1988 CE – present

Connections (3)

Mandatory Palestine was part of British Empire1920 CE – 1948 CE
Mandatory Palestine was a protectorate of United Kingdom1922 CE – 1948 CE
Emirate of Transjordan was part of Mandatory Palestine1922 CE – 1946 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mandatory Palestine. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mandatory-palestine
MLA: “Mandatory Palestine.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mandatory-palestine. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Mandatory Palestine.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mandatory-palestine.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mandatory Palestine’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mandatory-palestine (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻