British Mandate Palestine Possibility of Arab Self Government

During the British Mandate, Arab self-government was technically mandated by the League of Nations, but it failed to materialize. The central roadblock was that the British were simultaneously tasked with facilitating a Jewish national home and the Arab elite, which very quickly became a dictatorsip ruled by Hajj Amin al-Husayni, refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Mandate and boycotted any involvement in creating a realistic, future government structure and alternative to the Yishuv, the Jewish Agency. This may have been because of al-Husayni's domination of the Arab notable families or because of infighting amongst the most powerful families. The promise of Arab self-determination was irreconciliable with the broader geopolitical framework. We have only to see what happened to all the Arab self-governing entities to see that everyone is either a dictatorship - and not a benign one - or a tribal monarchy staying afloat because of its ocean of oil.

The only likelihood/possibility of a democratic Arab republic arising in Palestine was if some sort of compromise with the Zionists had been attempted.

The Arab responses to the Mandate self-government evolved through several distinct phases:

1. Early British Administration (1920s)
   • High Commissioner Initiatives: The early British administration attempted to establish representative institutions, but these efforts were consistently boycotted by Arab leadership.
   • Rejection of Joint Governance: Arab representatives refused to participate in any legislative councils or governing bodies that included Jewish representation, as they feared it would legitimize the Balfour Declaration.
     
     
2. The Arab Revolt and The White Paper (1930s)
   • The 1936-1939 Revolt: Frustrated by rising Jewish immigration and the denial of national independence or by their indebted, penurious, powerless position, a revolt against British authorities by the fellaheen was begun by random murder of BrMandate officers and Zionists. The Arab Higher Committee was dragged into this against their wishes and their better judgement.
   • The 1939 White Paper: In response to the revolt, the British shifted policy, proposing a limit on Jewish immigration and the establishment of an independent, unified Palestinian state within 10 years.
   • Outcome: The proposal was rejected by Arab leadership (who demanded immediate independence and a total halt to immigration) and Jewish leadership (who opposed the limits on the national home).
     
     
3. The End of the Mandate and Partition (1940s)
   • Deadlock: By 1947, Britain deemed the conflicting obligations of the Mandate irreconcilable and government too expensive and handed the Palestine problem to the United Nations.
   • UN Partition Plan (1947): The UN proposed dividing the territory into independent Arab and Jewish states, with Jerusalem under international administration.
   • Rejection: The plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but overwhelmingly rejected by Arab leaders and the Arab Higher Committee, which led directly to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the end of the Mandate.