The Shaw Commission
(1930)
As a result of Arab rioting throughout Palestine, the British established a
Commission of Inquiry whose purpose was to determine the cause of the
rioting and to propose policies which would prevent further violence from
erupting. Sir Walter Shaw chaired the Commission, which delivered its
report in March 1930.
The Shaw Commission found that the violence occurred due to "racial
animosity on the part of the Arabs, consequent upon the disappointment of
their political and national aspirations and fear for their economic
future." The report claimed that the Arabs feared economic domination by a
group who seemed to have, in their perspective, unlimited funding from abroad.
The Commission reported that the conflict stemmed from different
interpretations of British promises to both Arabs and Jews. The Commission
acknowledged the ambiguity of former British statements and recommended that
the government clearly define its intentions for Palestine. Importantly, it
also recommended that the issue of further Jewish immigration be more
carefully considered, in order to avoid "a repetition of the excessive
immigration of 1925 and 1926." The issue of land tenure would only be
eligible for review if new methods of cultivation stimulated considerable
growth of the agricultural sector.
On the Commission's recommendation, immigration was halted until after
another inquiry would resolve British policy. Arabs were pleased with the
report, as they were with the Hope-Simpson Report which followed. The
Hope-Simpson Report, along with the Passfield White Paper, were considered
very pro-Arab, and led to a strong outcry from Jews all over the world.
Sources: The Jewish Agency for Israel and The World Zionist Organization |