After the First World War, the League of Nations (the forerunner of the United Nations) bestowed Britain with a mandate to administer Palestine.

Gen. Allenby's proclamation: At the Citadel, 1917

Preserving Jerusalem's Special Character

On December 11, 1917, General Allenby entered Jerusalem and a thirty-year period of British rule in Palestine began. Jerusalem became the center of British Government in Palestine.

One of the first objectives of the new High Commissioner was to preserve the special character of the city. However, despite the fact that the majority of Jerusalem's inhabitants were Jewish, the City's affairs were managed by a council largely appointed from among influential Arab families.

Jewish Settlement Continues

The settlement of Jews which had begun beyond the Old City walls in the second half of the previous century, continued under the British. Several new neighborhoods were established to the west of the city -- Bet Hakerem, Talpiot and Rehavia -- as the Jewish population of the Old City declined to a mere 2000 Jewish residents by the year 1931.

Effectively a Capital City

The British military presence was largely responsible for the increased effectiveness of water provision during the Mandate period, as well as for the setting up of an institutional infrastructure in the center of the town, called "Bevingrad" by the Jews (after the unpopular British Foreign Minister). This enclave served, among other purposes, as a buffer between the Jewish and Arab commercial centers in the city, and effectively turned Jerusalem into the capital city, for the first time in 800 years.

Institutions Develop

Despite the uneasy relations between Jerusalem's three major populations, this period saw the development of many Jewish institutions that were to serve the infant Jewish state well in later years. These included the Hebrew University, the Jewish Agency, and Hadassah Hospital.

Rival Groups

The tension between the rival groups often erupted into violent acts. In 1920, 1929, from 1936-1939, and on the eve of the War of Independence (1947-48), Arab political extremists launched attacks against the Jewish population. One of the more unfortunate results of these disturbances was the British edict restricting Jewish prayer at the the Western Wall.

The British were known to have stood aside on several occasions. In 1929 alone, no less than 133 Jews were killed and three times more were wounded by Arab attacks, largely without British police intervention. By the War of Independence, the city was effectively divided, with some of the Jewish neighborhoods effectively surrounded by threatening Arabs.

The War of Independence Begins

In 1947, immediately after the U.N. Partition vote, fighting began to claim more lives. Some see the storming of the Mamila neighborhood, west of the Old City, as the beginning of the War of Independence in Jerusalem.