MANDATE FOR PALESTINE Meaning and
Definition
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The "Mandate for Palestine" refers to a legal and political framework established by the League of Nations in 1922. The mandate system was introduced as a means of supervising the administration of territories previously under the control of the defeated Ottoman Empire following World War I. The specific "Mandate for Palestine" referred to the British administration over the geographic area of Palestine, which encompassed present-day Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Under the mandate, the British government was entrusted with the responsibility of facilitating the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people while also safeguarding the rights and interests of the non-Jewish communities (primarily Arabs) residing in Palestine. The mandate aimed to fulfill the objectives set out in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which expressed British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
The mandate recognized the historical connection of the Jewish people to the region and encouraged Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine. It also called for the development of institutions and infrastructure to support the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
However, the mandate's provisions were not without controversy and led to ongoing tensions between Jewish and Arab communities in Palestine. The dispute over the interpretation and implementation of the mandate eventually culminated in the partition plan and the subsequent Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
