Passfield White Paper

The Passfield White Paper, issued in October 1930, was a British government document that addressed the escalating tensions in Palestine during the British Mandate period. It was a response to the 1929 Arab riots, which stemmed from disputes over religious practices at the Western Wall and broader Arab fears regarding Jewish immigration and land purchases.1

The White Paper proposed limiting Jewish immigration and restricting land sales to landless Arabs, prioritizing British obligations to the Arab population. However, this policy was met with strong opposition from Zionist leaders. In response to their protests, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald issued a letter to Chaim Weizmann in February 1931, effectively nullifying the Passfield White Paper and reverting to the policies outlined in the 1922 White Paper. This reversal led Palestinian Arabs to believe that Zionist influence in London could override recommendations made in Palestine.1