#History #timeline

The Report of the Palestine Partition Commission

Key takeaways

content: "@woodheadReportPalestinePartition1939" -file:@woodheadReportPalestinePartition1939

Reading notes

• Plan of partition relating to the Royal Commission called Plan A

• Boundary of Jerusalem had to be extended north

• Changes had to be made south of the Jewish state to provide a defensive barrier

• Followed roughly however from the Royal commissions outline

• Problem created by a large Arab minority would be a serious hinderance to partition

• Via irrigation and transfer of persons by force if necessary

• Government had however said they had not accepted a proposal for compulsory transfer and the Jewish voices also agreed with this…

• Voluntary Arab transfer would not be possible

• Even if land transfer were possible, irrigation of the land is impossible to support the levels required

• Galilee must be excluded from a Jewish state due to the overwhelming population of Arabs

• Next step was to examine Plan B

• Include galilee not under a Jewish state

• Jewish state would be vulnerable to attack through this however

• Same for acre and Haifa, both had to be in the same hands

• Galilee could not be included in an Arab state either

• Plan C

• Palestine falls under three parts

• Northern galilee under a mandate

• Arab state

• Jewish state

• Economic sphere, acquisition of agricultural land has caused the most resentment among arabs

• The capital that Jews can control will see more and more land come under Jewish authority

• Jewish land purchases under the mandate area ought to be controlled

• Northern area- any purchase of land from a Non-Jew to a Jew ought to be prohibited

• 10 year expiry date

• Special provision ought be in place for Jewish migration under plan C

• Annual surplus of the Jewish state would be around £600,000

• Arab state a deficit of £550,000

• Mandate state a deficit of £450,000

• Average per capita brings the other two states down with Jews having a much higher GDP per capita compared to Arabs

• The greater part of the Arab wealth of Palestine lies outside the Arab state such as the citrus farms