# Palestine white papers

The Palestine white papers are the British government statements of policy presented to Parliament regarding Mandatory Palestine, issued between 1922 and 1946.

## White Papers

| Date | Common Name | Full Title | Cmd. # | Purpose | Immigration and land policy | Other policies |
| June 1922 | Churchill White Paper | Correspondence with the Palestine Arab Delegation and the Zionist Organization | Cmd. 1700 | | Jews' right to immigrate but must not exceed "the economic capacity of the country at the time to absorb new arrivals." | Jewish national home: "a center in which the Jewish people as a whole may take, on grounds of religion and race, an interest and a pride." |
| November 1928 | | Statement of Policy ... (Wailing Wall) | Cmd. 3229 | No benches or screens could be brought to the Western Wall by Jews, since they had not been allowed during Ottoman rule. | | |
| May 1930 | Statement to the Permanent Mandates Commission | Palestine, Statement with regard to British Policy | Cmd. 3582 | | government must issue clear statements safeguarding Arab rights and regulating Jewish immigration and land purchase | welcomed an investigation by an international commission of the conflicting claims to the Western Wall |
| October 1930 | Passfield White Paper | Statement of Policy by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom Presented by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to Parliament by Command of His Majesty. (Passfield) | Cmd. 3692 | Obligations "of equal weight" to both communities | Stricter controls to be placed on Jewish immigration and land purchase | Renew the effort to establish the legislative council proposed in 1922 |
| July 1937 | White Paper on Partition | Statement of Policy on the Peel Commission report | Cmd. 5513 | Recommended partition | | |
| December 1937 | | Statement of Policy, appointment of the Woodhead Commission | Cmd. 5634 | | | |
| November 1938 | | Statement of Policy on the Woodhead Commission's report | Cmd. 5893 | | | |
| May 1939 | MacDonald White Paper | Statement of Policy presented by the Secretary of State for the Colonies ... (MacDonald) | Cmd. 6019 | No partition, with creation of self-governing institutions and shared authority over 10 years | Limited Jewish immigration to 75,000 over five years; subsequent immigration would require Arab approval. Purchase of land would be limited in some parts of Palestine and forbidden in others | |

## Other command papers

* Cmd 1499: An Interim Report on the Civil Administration of Palestine During the Period Ist July, 1920–30 June 1921. London: HMSO, 1921.
* Cmd 1540: Palestine Disturbances of May, 1921: Reports of the Commissioners of Inquiry ... (Haycraft) London: HMSO, 1921.
* Cmd 1785: Mandate for Palestine. London: HMSO, July 1922.
* Cmd 1889: Papers relating to the elections for the Palestine Legislative Council. London: HMSO, 1923.
* Cmd 3530: Report of the Commission (Palestine Disturbances of August 1929; Shaw). London: HMSO, 1930.
* Cmd 3683-3687: Report on Immigration, Land Settlement and Development by Sir John Hope Simpson London: HMSO, 1930.
* Cmd 5479: Report of the Palestine Royal Commission ... (Peel) London: HMSO, 1937.
* Cmd 5854: Report of the Palestine Partition Commission (Woodhead) London: HMSO, 1938.