Peel Commission
The Peel Commission was a British royal commission established in 1936 to investigate escalating tensions and conflicts between Arab and Jewish communities in Palestine, which had been under British control since 1922. Tasked with finding a solution to this conflict, the commission conducted hearings for six months and produced a report in 1937. The report suggested the partition of Palestine into two separate states, one for Jews and one for Arabs, with a neutral zone under British administration, an early proposal of what would later be recognized as a two-state solution.
The commission found that both communities were seeking independence, but they held deep-seated concerns about each other’s aspirations and demographics, with Arabs fearing the Jewish population would dominate. The proposal also recommended the relocation of populations between the two proposed states. While the British Parliament supported the recommendation, both communities reacted differently: the Jewish population was divided, and Arab leaders outright rejected the plan. Ultimately, the Peel Commission's recommendations were set aside, but they laid the groundwork for future discussions on the governance and territorial division of Palestine, culminating in the eventual establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
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Peel Commission
The Peel Commission was a British royal commission of inquiry established in 1936 that was charged with investigating the conflict between Arabs and Jews over Palestine. The commission was also tasked with finding a solution to the problem. It was a British concern because Great Britain had assumed control of Palestine in 1922 under an agreement with the League of Nations. In 1937, the commission made a recommendation to establish two states and a neutral zone in the region. The British government approved the plan, but both the Arabs and the Jews rejected it. The plan was eventually abandoned, but the dispute remained.
Background
The modern conflict between the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine had its origins in World War I (1914–1918). Great Britain was concerned that the Ottomans involved in the war would capture British oil fields in Iran. To protect their interests, the British sought assistance from the Arabian Bedouins. In exchange for the Arabs fighting as British allies, the British promised to support independence for the Arab states.
Around the same time, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour wrote a letter that outlined British support for the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish territory. The letter was written November 2, 1917, and was later included as part of a mandate by the League of Nations regarding Britain and Palestine. The letter made Balfour something of a hero to the Jewish people. British authorities said that in exchange for the promises made by Balfour, the Jews had promised to muster support for the Allies involved in World War I.
When the war ended, however, official statements from Britain softened the promises made by Balfour. Instead of all of Palestine becoming Jewish territory, the British said an area for Jews would be established within Palestine. This was in part because giving Palestine to the Jews would affect the Arabs who lived there. It would make them citizens of a Jewish state against their will. This would also violate the promise the British made to the Arabs to secure their assistance against the Ottomans.
In the meantime, the French and the British had reached an agreement to divide the area of Arabia that had been held by the Ottomans. This was done in 1916 in anticipation of the Ottomans losing, but the agreement upset the Arabs. When the war ended, neither the agreement with the French nor the agreements with the Arabs or the Jewish people were fully honored. Instead, the British took control of Palestine under a mandate agreed to with the League of Nations.
The League of Nations was an international group founded in the aftermath of World War I to help negotiate agreements and prevent another world war from happening. Mandate agreements were the way the League of Nations dealt with areas that did not have the resources to self-govern. These areas were placed under the control of another larger country with the resources to help the mandate territory develop the infrastructure and means to become self-governing. The League of Nations was terminated in 1946.
The Mandate for Palestine took effect in July of 1922. It called upon Great Britain to help form a Jewish national home in Palestine. The mandate was amended in September of the same year after the Arabs successfully lobbied to have the area that became Jordan excluded from Palestine; this equaled about three quarters of the area covered by the mandate. The government formed by the British did allow the Arab and Jewish communities within Palestine to manage and govern their own populations.
However, there were disputes over immigration into the area, with the Arabs feeling that too many Jews were being allowed in. Conversely, the Jewish people felt they were being unjustly restricted. Violence began to break out in 1936, with the Palestinians revolting against the mandate government run by the British. There were periodic cease-fires, but the violence would continue until 1939.
Overview
In response to the violent outbursts, the British formed a royal commission of inquiry headed by Lord William Robert Wellesley Peel. The commission's task was to investigate the problems between the Arab and Jewish communities and propose some solutions. Between 1936 and 1937, the commission heard testimony for six months.
Some Arabs refused to participate because they thought the proceedings were weighted against them. Some of the Jewish participants insisted that the mandate's main purpose was to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. There was little agreement between the two sides, and it appeared little could be found.
In July of 1937, Peel issued the commission's findings. The report stated that both sides wanted independence, that the Arabs feared too many Jewish people were moving to the area and the Jewish community would take over, and that both sides did not have equal opportunities to bring their concerns before the British government. The commission also noted that there was a sense of unease and uncertainty in the area because the terms of the mandate were unclear.
The Peel Commission recommended abolishing the mandate and dividing Palestine into two states with a small neutral area to remain in British control. This was the first proposal of a two-state solution for Palestine. The Jewish area included the uppermost portion of the territory and a narrow strip along the Mediterranean Sea. The Arab state would include all the rest of the area, including Judea and Samaria. The neutral area under British control included Jerusalem and the many sites nearby that are considered holy to the world's three major religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
As part of the recommendation, the commission said that the Arabs living in the Jewish territory should be relocated to the Arab state and vice versa. An additional committee was formed to determine the exact borders. The concern about Jewish immigration into the area was to be handled by the government established by the Jewish population in their own state.
The British Parliament endorsed the solution, and the British population accepted it. However, the Jewish population was split on the matter, and the Arabs outright rejected it. The plan was set aside. Peel died a short time after the announcement of the findings. The British government would try again to find a two-state solution with the Woodhead Commission in 1938 without success. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution partitioning Palestine, and Britain announced it would terminate the mandate in May of 1948. The State of Israel was officially formed on May 14, 1948.
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