Palestine Royal Commission report

by the Palestine Royal Commission

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Royal Warrants vi

REPORT

PREFACE ix

PART I.—THE PROBLEM.

CHAPTER I.—THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.

1. The Jews in Palestine 2

2. The Arabs in Palestine 5

3. The Diaspora 7

4. Zionism 11

CHAPTER II.—THE WAR AND THE MANDATE.

1. The Arab Revolt 16

2. The Balfour Declaration 22

3. The Period of Delay 28

4. The Mandate 34

CHAPTER III.—PALESTINE FROM 1920 TO 1936.

1. 1920 to 1925 43

2. The Situation in 1925 54

3. 1926 to 1929 62

4. The Controversy of 1930 70

5. 1931 to 1936 78

CHAPTER IV.—THE DISTURBANCES OF 1936.

1. The Course of the Disturbances 96

2. The Character of the Disturbances and the Loss occasioned by them 103

3. The Underlying Causes 106

CHAPTER V.—THE PRESENT SITUATION.

1. The Jewish National Dome 113

2. Arab Progress 125

3. Arab Nationalism 130

4. The Position of the Government 136

5. The Arab and Jewish Proposals 140

PART II.—THE OPERATION OF THE MANDATE.

CHAPTER VI.—ADMINISTRATION.

1. Palestine under Turkish Rule 150

2. The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration: 1918—1920 153

3. The Civil Administration: 1920—1936 158

4. Roads 168

5. Railways 169

6. Parts 170

7. The Jewish Agency 172

8. The Supreme Moslem Council 174

9. The Suggestion of an Enlarged Arab Agency 181

CHAPTER VII.—PUBLIC SECURITY. 185

CHAPTER VIII.—FINANCIAL AND FISCAL QUESTIONS. 206

CHAPTER IX.—THE LAND.

1. The First Problem: The Dual Obligation 218

2. The Second Problem: Cultivable Area 233

3. The Third Problem: Irrigation 251

4. Four Examples of Land Problems.

(a) Birkat Ramadan 256

(b) The Huleh Scheme 257

(c) Beisan 259

(d) Caesarea 262

5. Land in the Hill Districts 263

6. Agriculture 268

7. Forests 271

8. Co-operative Societies 276

CHAPTER X.—IMMIGRATION.

1. Description of Immigration under the Immigration Ordinance 279

2. Illegal Immigration 289

3. The Jewish Agency and its Grievances regarding Immigration 293

4. The Control of Immigration 297

5. Immigration and the National Home 304

6. Conclusion 306

CHAPTER XI.—TRANS-JORDAN. 308

CHAPTER XII.—PUBLIC HEALTH. 310

CHAPTER XIII.—PUBLIC WORKS AND SERVICES. 318

CHAPTER XIV.—THE CHRISTIANS. 325

CHAPTER XV.—NATIONALITY LAW AND ACQUISITION OF PALESTINIAN CITIZENSHIP. 329

CHAPTER XVI.—EDUCATION.

1. Introduction 333

2. Jewish Education 333

3. Arab Education 337

4. The Mixed Schools 341

5. Recommendations 342

CHAPTER XVII.—LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

1. Rural Autonomy 346

2. The Municipalities 347

3. Tel Aviv 352

4. Recommendations 354

CHAPTER XVIII.—SELF-GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS. 357

CHAPTER XIX.—CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 363

PART III.—THE POSSIBILITY OF A LASTING SETTLEMENT.

CHAPTER XX.—THE FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCES 370

CHAPTER XXI.—CANTONISATION 377

CHAPTER XXII.—A PLAN OF PARTITION 380

CHAPTER XXIII.—CONCLUSION 394

APPENDICES

1. Mandate for Palestine 398

2. Representations addressed to the High Commissioner by the Higher Arab Officials 401

3. Revenue, Expenditure and Trade per head in Middle Eastern Countries, 1935 403

4. Population and Areas of Districts and Sub—Districts 404

MAPS

1. Pre-War Turkish Administrative Districts comprised in Syria and Palestine Opposite page 19

2. Progress in Survey up to end of 1936 At end.

3. Progressin Land Settlement up to end of 1936 At end.

4. Jewish-owned lands At end.

5. State Domain and Forest Reserves At end.

6. Cultivation zones in Hills and Plains At end.

7. Palestine and neighbouring states At end.

8. Partition: provisional Frontier At end.

9. Administrative Boundaries At end.

GRAPH

Forecast of future trends of population Page 281