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Members of the 1936 British royal commission, headed by Lord Peel, in Jerusalem. The commission recommended the partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. Source: J-TI

The members of the Palestine Royal Commission arrived in Palestine in November 1936. Third left is Lord Peel, chairman of the commission. The commission's report, published in July 1937, found that the underlying causes of the disturbances were the Palestinians' desire for national independence and fear of the establishment of a Jewish national home. It nevertheless recommended the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state, a Palestinian state to be merged with Trans-Jordan, and British Mandate enclaves. The Jews, who at the time owned only 5.6% of Palestine, were to be given 33% of the country, from which Peel suggested that the Palestinian inhabitants could be expelled. Palestinians received the report with shock, dismay, and frenzied resistance. Source: BTD

In Dec. 1938 the Seychelles exiles were released, but for several years they were not allowed to return to Palestine. Here they are seen at a party held in their honor in Cairo shortly after their release. Seated 1st L is Abdul Hamid Shoman, founder of the Arab Bank. Source: BTD

London Conference, 1939 The British government, fearful of the impact of its repressive Palestine policies on British interests throughout the Middle East as W.W.II approached, and impressed by the intensity of Palestinian resistance, called for a conference to be held in London in Feb. 1939 to discuss the Palestine question. Arab and Jewish delegates were invited, but the British vetoed the attendance of Haj Amin Al-Husseini, mufti of Jerusalem and chairman of the Arab Higher Committee. This photo shows a meeting at the Egyptian embassy in London. Seated in the front row, 3rd and 4th R, are Princes Faisal and Khaled of Saudi Arabia, respectively. Source: BTD

London Conference, St. James' Palace, Feb. 1939. Palestinian delegates (foreground), LTR: Fu'ad Saba, Yaqub Al-Ghussein, Musa Al-Alami, Amin Tamimi, Jamal Al-Husseini, Awni Abdul Hadi, George Antonious, and Alfred Roch. Facing the Palestinians are the British, with Sir Neville Chamberlain presiding. To his right is Lord Halifax, and to his left, Malcolm MacDonald. Source: BTD

London Conference, St. James' Palace, Feb. 1939. The Jewish delegates, headed by Haim Weizman. Source: PASSIA archives

Fourth Conference of The Arab Mayors of Palestine, Gaza, 1945. Front row, LTR: Hashem Al-Jayyusi, Rushdi Al-Shawwa, Omar Bitar, Sheikh Mustafa Al-Kheiri, and Sulaiman Tuqan. Second row center: Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Jabari, and to his right, Hanna Qawwas. There were 18 Palestinian municipal councils, 2 Jewish councils, and four mixed councils under the British Mandate. Source: BTD

Leaders of the Arab Protestant community of Palestine, 1946. Reverend Butrus Nasser from Birzeit is seated 3rd from left. His nephew Kamal Nasser, was assassinated with two other PLO leaders in an Israeli raid on Beirut in April 1973. Source: BTD

Muslim dignitaries conferring in the courtyard of the Ibrahimi (Abraham) Mosque, Hebron, 1947. The mayor of Hebron, Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Jabari, is on the right. Source: BTD

Palestine National Council conference in Gaza, Oct. 1948. Haj Amin Al-Husseini is seated at the presidential table; to his right, the Vice-Chairman of the Palestine National Council, Hasan Abu Su'ud; to his left, the two secretaries of the Council. Emil Al-Ghouri and Mahmoud Al-Nijem. Standing speaker is the Defense Minister, Raja'i Al-Husseini. The hall is decorated with flags and with pictures of Arab heads of state, and shows the squalid conditions in which the PNC conference was held. Source: GM-ZE

Delegates for the Palestine National Council conference in Gaza, Oct.1948. Source: GM-ZE

Ceremony marking the signing of the declaration of independence at the Gaza conference. The Prime Minister of the All-Palestine Government, Ahmad Hilmi Abdul Baqi, is signing. Source: GM-ZE

Ramallah, early 1950s. 1 King Abdullah of Jordan 2 Samir Pasha Al-Rifaii Source: PASSIA archives

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Legend for external sources and captions: BTD: Before Their Diaspora, Institute for Palestine Studies, 1984. GM-ZE: The Grand Mufti, Cass, 1993. J-TI: Jerusalem, Ivan R. Dee, 1991. Page design and execution by Anees Assali.