On 20 April 1946, the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry releases its final report, recommending the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish displaced persons into Mandatory Palestine—but stopping short of endorsing the creation of a Jewish state.
Established in November last year, the Committee was created to investigate the plight of European Jews following the Holocaust and determine a viable political path forward for Palestine. President Truman’s letter to Prime Minister Attlee in August 1945 had called for urgent solutions, particularly regarding Jewish immigration, while the British sought to share the political burden of the Palestine question with the U.S.
Comprising six American and six British members, the Committee has since toured DP camps across Europe and visited Palestine, interviewing over a hundred witnesses, including Zionist leaders, Arab representatives, and international experts. Despite divergent ideological leanings among the members, today’s report is presented as a unified recommendation.
The central recommendation—to admit 100,000 European Jewish refugees to Palestine without delay—is a response to the appalling conditions in the DP camps.
However, the report also delivers a major political blow to the Zionist movement by recommending against the establishment of a Jewish state. It instead proposes that Palestine remain a bi-national state under British trusteeship, governed with equal rights and protections for both Jews and Arabs.
It also outlines the need for economic development and the establishment of a legislative council and calls for restrictions on land sales and immigration to be reviewed. The Committee explicitly condemns terrorism and violent resistance from Jewish militants while also warning of growing Arab hostility.
Today’s release immediately sets off heated reactions in both London and Washington. Zionist groups express disappointment over the rejection of a Jewish state, while Arab leaders vehemently oppose the immigration proposal.
Picture: Members of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry standing next to the Western Wall Source: Central Zionist Archives (via Harvard University Library)
World War Two
On 20 April 1946, the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry releases its final report, recommending the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish displaced persons into Mandatory Palestine—but stopping short of endorsing the creation of a Jewish state.
Established in November last year, the Committee was created to investigate the plight of European Jews following the Holocaust and determine a viable political path forward for Palestine. President Truman’s letter to Prime Minister Attlee in August 1945 had called for urgent solutions, particularly regarding Jewish immigration, while the British sought to share the political burden of the Palestine question with the U.S.
Comprising six American and six British members, the Committee has since toured DP camps across Europe and visited Palestine, interviewing over a hundred witnesses, including Zionist leaders, Arab representatives, and international experts. Despite divergent ideological leanings among the members, today’s report is presented as a unified recommendation.
The central recommendation—to admit 100,000 European Jewish refugees to Palestine without delay—is a response to the appalling conditions in the DP camps.
However, the report also delivers a major political blow to the Zionist movement by recommending against the establishment of a Jewish state. It instead proposes that Palestine remain a bi-national state under British trusteeship, governed with equal rights and protections for both Jews and Arabs.
It also outlines the need for economic development and the establishment of a legislative council and calls for restrictions on land sales and immigration to be reviewed. The Committee explicitly condemns terrorism and violent resistance from Jewish militants while also warning of growing Arab hostility.
Today’s release immediately sets off heated reactions in both London and Washington. Zionist groups express disappointment over the rejection of a Jewish state, while Arab leaders vehemently oppose the immigration proposal.
Picture: Members of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry standing next to the Western Wall
Source: Central Zionist Archives (via Harvard University Library)
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