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| 1919, June 19 |
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| Arrival of the King-Crane Commission (composed of two Americans) under the auspices of the League of Nations. The commission conducted extensive interviews throughout Syria and Palestine. With respect to Palestine, it concluded that the overwhelming majority of Muslim and Christian inhabitants were opposed to the Zionist program of establishing a Jewish national home. The commission's report also revealed strong sentiment against the British proposal to separate Palestine from the rest of Syria. The British ignored the report's findings. | 1 |
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| 1920–48 |
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| Extensive Jewish immigration, far surpassing the total since 1882. The number of new arrivals reached 452,000 (four-fifths from Europe) by the time of Israeli independence. In 1947 the Jewish population in Palestine amounted to about 610,000, representing 32 percent of the total population. The numbers contrasted sharply with the composition of the Palestinian population around 1920. The total had stood at about 700,000, approximately 80 percent of whom were Muslim; the remaining 20 percent was divided fairly evenly between Christians and Jews. | 2 |
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| 1920 |
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| Founding of the Histadrut, the Jewish Federation of Labor. The organization promoted a Jewish labor agenda and demanded that Jewish businesses hire only Jewish workers. It remains an important economic and political force in the state of Israel. | 3 |
| Formation of the HAGANA, the Jewish militia, which became the military backbone of the Zionist movement in Palestine and later, of the Israeli Defense Forces. | 4 |
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| April |
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| Nomination of Britain for the mandate of Palestine at the San Remo Conference. | 5 |
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| April 4–10 |
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| Anti-Zionist rioting in Jerusalem. | 6 |
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| July 1 |
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| Assumption of power by a British civil administration, which relieved the army of political duties. Herbert Samuel, a Jewish and pro-Zionist politician, became the first British high commissioner and served until 1925. | 7 |
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| Oct |
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| Creation of an advisory council consisting of 21 members appointed by the high commissioner. Among these, four members were Muslim, three were Christian, and three were Jewish. The council possessed no real power. | 8 |
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