Palestine and Mesopotamia | Three pamphlets, 1921-1922

Palestine and Mesopotamia

Creation of the British Mandate: three pamphlets:

i) Draft Mandates for Mesopotamia and Palestine. As Submitted for the Approval of the League of Nations. Presented to Parliament by the Command of His Majesty [Cmd. 1176]. London: HMSO, 1921. 8vo (333 x 210mm.), 10pp, self-wrappers, stapled, staples rusting, minor tears at extremities

ii) Final Drafts of the Mandates for Mesopotamia and Palestine, for the approval of the Council of the League of Nations. Presented to Parliament by Command of His Majesty. August, 1921 [Cmd. 1500]. London: HMSO, 1921. 8vo (244 x 154mm.), 13pp, self-wrappers, stapled, staples rusting, dampstain at margins

iii) Mandate for Palestine. Letter from the Secretary to the Cabinet to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations of July 1 1922, enclosing a Note in reply to Cardinal Gasparri's letter of May 15, 1922... [Cmd. 1708]. London: HMSO, 1922. 8vo (244 x 155mm.), 8pp, self-wrappers, stapled, staples rusting, holepunch to inner margin, wrappers slightly soiled, remnants of pencil inscription on upper wrapper, neat biro inscription on lower wrapper

These rare draft documents were instrumental in the 1922 Palestine Mandate. These texts define Palestine as the area on both sides of the river Jordan (whereas regions east of the river become Trans-Jordan in the later version). Cmd. 1708 is in large part a response to Cardinal Gasparri's letter to the UN Secretary General, and contains a discussion of Article 14 of the mandate concerning existing rights to religious buildings and Holy Places within Palestine.

LITERATURE:

Cmd. 1708: Khalidi & Khadduri 1537