may 23, 1939 - White Papers III- 1939

Description:

The third White Paper was a British issued document that canceled the Balfour Declaration, further limited Jewish land purchases, and declared that only 75,000 more Jews would be allowed to enter Palestine within the next five years. It also called for the establishment of a Jewish national home in an independent Palestinian state within 10 years. This further aggravated the Jews because they thought they had the support of the British because of the Balfour Declaration (and also a Jewish state). They therefore felt discriminated against and wronged by the British. However, the Arabs were very happy with further limits on Jewish immigration because they didn’t want Jews taking the jobs and occupying land they believed rightfully belonged to them. However, they were irritated by the plan for Jews to have a home in their Palestinian country within the next 10 years.
This is an important event in Zionist History because it placed more anti-Zionist restrictions on Jews. Also, it further turned Jews against the British because the Jews didn’t feel that the British were a trustworthy ally since they repealed the Balfour Declaration. As a result, the Jews put more energy into fighting the British in addition to fighting the Arabs. Furthermore, these restrictions forced more Jews to illegally immigrate to Palestine.