London Conference of 1939
British-led talks on Palestine's future ended with the 1939 White Paper.
The London Conference of 1939, also known as the St James's Palace Conference, was convened by the British government to determine the future governance of Palestine and the end of the Mandate. It ran from 7 February to 17 March 1939 and involved separate meetings with Arab and Zionist delegations after the Arab Higher Committee refused to share a room with the Zionist delegation. The conference concluded with the British announcing proposals that later became the 1939 White Paper.
Quick Facts
- Start date
- 7 February 1939
- End date
- 17 March 1939
- Location
- St James's Palace, London
- Convened by
- British Government
- Colonial secretary
- Malcolm MacDonald
- Arab delegation leader
- Jamal Husseini
- Zionist delegation leader
- Chaim Weizmann
Facts from the source article.
Background
In 1936, following the Great Arab Revolt, Palestinians went on a general strike and formed the Higher National Committee. The British established the Peel Commission, which recommended partitioning Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The World Zionist Congress equivocally approved the Peel recommendations as a basis for negotiation, but Arabs rejected partition. After the commission's proposals were published, violence resumed, and on 1 October 1937 the Higher National Committee and all nationalist committees were outlawed. Five prominent Palestinians were deported to the Seychelles, and others went into hiding or exile. By summer 1938, antigovernment and intercommunal violence had intensified, with Palestinians controlling large areas and the Zionist underground carrying out bombings. The British responded with a counteroffensive, sending more troops and declaring martial law.
Preparation
The deportees were freed on 19 December and traveled to Cairo and then Beirut, where a new Higher National Committee was established under Husseini's direction. The delegation refused to include members of the National Defence Party, though two additional NDP delegates were added after the conference began. Five Arab regimes were invited: Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Transjordan. The Zionist delegation, led by Chaim Weizmann in the name of the Jewish Agency, included members from the US, Europe, Britain, South Africa, and Palestine. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain opened the conference on 7 February 1939 at St James's Palace, with separate ceremonies for the Palestinian and Zionist delegations.
Meetings with Palestinian Delegation
The Arab Palestinian delegation was led by Jamal Husseini and included Awni Abd al-Hadi, Yacoub Al Ghussein, Husayin al-Khalidi, Alfred Roch, and Musa Alami, with George Antonius and Fuad Saba as secretaries. Arab state representatives included Aly Maher of Egypt and Prime Minister Nuri Said of Iraq. The Palestinian group refused to include National Defence Party members, and a campaign of violence between rebels and NDP supporters led to 136 deaths in 1939. The British indicated they might talk to two Palestinian delegations, and Nashashibi and his deputy joined two days after the opening. On 9 February, Jamal Husseini presented the Arab position: independence, no Jewish national home, replacement of the Mandate by a treaty, and an end to Jewish immigration. On 16 February, a meeting with Arab leaders offered a proposal for an Arab state with equal rights for a Jewish minority.
Meetings with Zionist Jewish Agency delegation
The Jewish Agency delegation was led by Chaim Weizmann, but David Ben-Gurion dominated decisions and insisted the delegation be named the Zionist Jewish Agency. It included non-Zionists such as Sholem Asch and Lord Melchett, as well as American and British Zionists. Ben-Gurion blocked Lord Herbert Samuel's membership. The conference marked Ben-Gurion's rise as the prime mover in Zionist policy and a shift toward what he called combative Zionism, emphasizing self-defense and increased immigration, especially of young people of military age. Weizmann presented the Jewish Agency position: Jews must be the majority, continuation of the Mandate, continued Jewish immigration, and investment for development. The delegation was willing to accept partition under protest. On 7 March, an informal meeting was held with three Arab Palestinian delegates and four Jewish delegates, with MacDonald and British officials present. Egyptian delegate Aly Maher appealed for reduced illegal Jewish immigration and an end to violence, but Ben-Gurion insisted there could be no reduction, and the meeting soon ended.
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