1936 -1939 The Great Rebellion

Residents of Abu Ghosh, a village west of Jerusalem, taking the oath of allegiance to the Arab higher Comittee, April 1936. "Before Their Diaspora"

1936

Legislative Council proposal defeated by pro-Zionist members in British House of Common.
Leaders of Palestinian political parties form Higher Arab Committee under Chairman Haj Amin al-Husseini.
Conference of Palestinian National Committees in Jerusalem calls for no taxation without representation. Great rebellion begins.
Lebanese guerrilla leader Fawzi al-Qawuqji enters Palestine leading 150 volunteers from Arab countries to help fight British.
Royal Commission headed by Lord Peel arrives in Palestine.

1937

Royal Commission leaves Palestine.
Irgun/IZL, linked to Revisionist movement under Jabotinsky, reorganizes and advocates armed attacks on Palestinians.
Royal Commission report recommends partitioning Palestine into Jewish state comprising 33% of country including Haifa, Galilee and coastal plain north of Isdud; Arab state in rest of country (to be incorporated into Transjordan) and British mandatory enclaves including Jerusalem. Part of Palestinian population to be forcibly transferred, if necessary, from Jewish state.
Arab Higher Committee rejects Royal Commission's partition proposal and demands independent unitary Palestinian state "with protection of all legitimate Jewish and other minority rights and the safeguarding of reasonable British interests". Rebellion intensifies.
World Zionist Congress in Zurich decides to ascertain "the precise terms … for the proposed establishment of a Jewish state".
Arab National Congress at Bludan, Syria, attended by 450 delegates from Arab countries, rejects partition plan, demands end to Mandate, a stop to Zionist immigration and prohibition of transfer of Palestinian lands to Zionist ownership.
British dissolve Arab Higher Committee and all Palestinian political organizations. Five Palestinian leaders deported. Haj Amin al-Husseini escapes to Lebanon.
British establishes military courts throughout Palestine to counter escalating rebellion.

1938

British decides to send technical commission of inquiry, under chairmanship of Sir John Woodhead, to study feasibility of partition as recommended by Royal Commission.
Sir Harold MacMichael succeeds General Sir Arthur Wauchope as high commissioner.
Irgun/IZL bombings kill 119 Palestinians. Palestinian bombs and mines kill 8 Jews.
Technical commission of inquiry arrives in Palestine.
British officer Orde Wingate organizes Special Night Squads, composed of British and Haganah personnel, for operations against Palestinian villages.
British military commanders take over administrative control from district commissioners to help suppress rebellion, reinforcements brought from England.
British troops recapture Old City of Jerusalem from Palestinians.
Report of British Woodhead technical commission of inquiry declares impracticality of Royal Commission's partition proposal. British call for general conference on Palestine to be held in London and attended by Arab, Palestinian and Zionist representatives.
Palestinian leaders previously deported to Seychelles Island released, but denied return to Palestine.

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