July 1, 1920

Appointed as Britain’s highest ranking official in Palestine, Samuel governs there until 1925. As a Jew, Zionists have high hopes that he will help facilitate the development of the national home. Once governing, he undertakes to rule in an even-handed fashion. He seeks but fails to bring Arab notables into shaping Palestine’s politics. Instead, he allows both communities to evolve their own social, religious, and self-governing bodies.