Irgun Blasts Prisoners out of AcreCIE+
May 4, 1947 The Irgun sets off explosives at 4:22 p.m. to blast open a hole in the wall of the Acre (Akko) fortress, used as a prison by the British Mandatory authorities, in an…
Britain Seeks Special U.N. Panel on Palestine
April 2, 1947 The British government notifies the United Nations of its intent to bring the question of Palestine’s future before the next U.N. General Assembly. The United Kingdom also requests a special General Assembly…
Truman Delivers His DoctrineCIE+
In a speech delivered to a joint session of Congress, President Harry Truman outlines a new, decidedly anti-Soviet direction for American foreign policy.
Britain to Seek U.N. Help on PalestineCIE+
The British respond to rising violence in Mandatory Palestine by asking the United Nations to figure out what to do.
Irgun Flogs British Troops in StreetsCIE+
December 29, 1946 The underground militant movement Irgun carries out the Night of the Beatings, an effort across Palestine to flog British soldiers in retribution for the lashing of captured Irgun members. Irgun members abduct…
White Paper Didn’t Halt Land Sales, Report FindsCIE+
A Land Transfer Committee report reveals that Arabs in Palestine willingly continued to sell land to Zionists in the early 1940s despite the British legal prohibition on doing so.
Jewish Resistance Blows Up Rails Across PalestineCIE+
November 1, 1945 The newly formed Jewish Resistance Movement sets off explosions at more than 150 sites along the railway system of British Mandatory Palestine and blows up three British gunboats in the Jaffa and…
Harold MacMichael Ends Term as High Commissioner of PalestineCIE+
Rattled by numerous attempts on his life, and fearing for the safety of his family, MacMichael steps down in August 1944.
Labor Zionist Leader Berl Katznelson DiesCIE+
Berl Katznelson, a leader in the Labor Zionist movement, dies suddenly at the age of 57 in Jerusalem. His advocacy for the creation of a labor-based society in Israel would eventually form the basis of the Mapai party, which was created in 1930 and would dominate Israeli politics until the late 1970′s.
Mitzpe Gevulot Established in NegevCIE+
The agricultural outpost of Mitzpe Gevulot was established.
Extraordinary Zionist Conference Begins at Biltmore Hotel in New YorkCIE+
The Biltmore Conference will set the framework for Zionist policy in the years during and after World War II.
Russian Sub Sinks Refugee Ship StrumaCIE+
After being mistaken as an enemy ship, the SS Struma, carrying nearly 800 Jewish refugees hoping to immigrate into Palestine, including 70 children, is sunk by a Russian submarine in the Black Sea.
Haganah Forms Elite PalmachCIE+
The Palmach, an elite strike force of the Haganah, goes on to play a significant role in the 1948-1949 war.
Refugee Ship Patria Is SunkCIE+
November 25, 1940 A Haganah bomb does more damage than intended to the immigrant transport ship SS Patria, which sinks within 16 minutes in Haifa’s harbor, killing 267 people, including members of the British crew,…
Kibbutz Givat Brenner Is EstablishedCIE+
Originally working as laborers in surrounding agricultural communities, the founding members of Givat Brenner establish agricultural and industrial infrastructure for the kibbutz, quickly making it financially stable and self-sustaining.
British White Paper Restricts Jewish Immigration and Land PurchaseCIE+
The 1939 White Paper signaled Britain’s readiness to relegate the Jews in Palestine to minority status in a future majority-Arab state.
Irgun Radio Begins BroadcastingCIE+
March 15, 1939 Kol Tzion HaLokhemet (“Voice of the Fighting Zion”), the underground radio network operated by the Irgun, sends out its first broadcasts across Palestine as Esther Raziel-Naor hits the airwaves. The network broadcasts…
Mufti of Jerusalem Rejects Majority-Arab StateCIE+
The Mufti has enormous power in his hands, yet he chooses non-engagement with the British, who controlled Palestine.
Rambam Hospital Is EstablishedCIE+
December 22, 1938 The Rambam Health Care Campus opens as the British Government Hospital of Haifa and is hailed by the British high commissioner for Palestine, Harold MacMichael, as the “finest medical institution in the…
Kfar Ruppin Is FoundedCIE+
Kibbutz Kfar (Village) Ruppin is established under the framework of the “Tower and Stockade” movement in Zionism, which takes place primarily between 1936-1939.
British Parliament Debates Future of PalestineCIE+
In the midst of the 1936-1939 Arab revolt, a debate over British policy in Mandatory Palestine is held in the House of Commons.
Arab Congress Rejects PartitionCIE+
At the conclusion of a four-day conference in Cairo, Egypt, Arab leaders adopt the Resolutions of the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. The conference and resolutions are a response to the British Peel Commission Report of 1937.
Weizmann Expresses Dismay Over Britain’s Pro-Arab Position to MacDonaldCIE+
As part of the Zionist strategy to engage the British government in political negotiations, Chaim Weizmann airs his grievances against the British government for reversing their pro-Zionist policy.
Maccabi Tel Aviv Ends U.S. Soccer TourCIE+
Playing their final match of an eleven match American tour, the Maccabi Tel-Aviv Football Club loses 4-1 to an American all-star team at Yankee Stadium in front of 20,000 spectators.
