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| 1934 |
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| Death of Haim Nahman Bialik, one of the greatest Hebrew poets. His rich and extensive work, grounded in Jewish experiences and aspirations, has exerted a lasting influence on Hebrew poetry. | 1 |
| Opening of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. | 2 |
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| 1936, April |
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| The Palestine Broadcasting Service began operating from Jerusalem. | 3 |
| Beginning of a national strike by Arab workers. The protest was marked by widespread demonstrations, which often turned violent, and guerrilla warfare in the countryside. Palestinian leaders organized the Arab High Committee, which announced the strike and assumed responsibility for sustaining it. The strike finally ended on Oct. 10, due in part to the appeals of Arab states. In an attempt to mollify the Arab leadership, the British announced the formation of the Peel Commission, which proceeded to Palestine in October to investigate social and political conditions. The commission was boycotted by Arab politicians. | 4 |
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| 1937, July 7 |
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| The Peel Commission declared the Palestine mandate to be unfeasible. It recommended the partition of the territory into three sections: a Jewish state (about one-third of the territory), extending from the Syrian borders down along the coast to Jaffa; a British section, containing a few specified territories (such as the cities of Jaffa and Jerusalem) deemed essential to British interests; and all other lands, which were to be Arab and united with Transjordan. | 5 |
| The World Zionist Congress (Aug. 2) accepted the plan in principle, but demanded modifications in favor of the Jewish settlers. The Arabs rejected outright the idea of partition. At the Bludan Pan-Arab Congress in Syria (Sept. 8) delegates called for the abrogation of the Balfour Declaration, suspension of Jewish immigration, and British recognition of Palestinian independence. | 6 |
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| Sept. 26 |
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| Assassination of Yelland Andrews, British district commissioner for Galilee. The British responded by outlawing the Arab High Committee and arresting many of its members. The chairman of the committee, Hajj Amin al-Husayni, eluded capture and eventually made his way to Syria, which became the committee's new base of operations. In the absence of the established leadership, more radical politicians assumed control of the resistance movement within Palestine itself. Anti-Zionist and anti-British attacks rapidly increased. | 7 |
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| Oct |
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| Beginning of the GREAT ARAB REVOLT, which in most areas was merely a resumption of fighting that had broken out the previous year. Mostly a rural phenomenon, the revolt was centered primarily in three areas: the settlements south and west of Jerusalem, the Galilee, and the area surrounding Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah. Many Arab notables whom the British had not already detained fled the country. As a result, the guerrillas had to fight without the benefit of a coordinated leadership inside the country. The main target of the attacks was the British administration, which responded with mounting military force until it finally subdued the resistance in late 1939. | 8 |
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