1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine — nationalist uprising by Palestinian Arabs in Mandatory Palestine
The 1936–1939 Arab Revolt shaped the future of Mandatory Palestine by weakening Palestinian Arab leadership and strengthening Zionist militias ahead of the 1948 war.
Key Facts
- Duration
- April 1936 to 1939
- Arabs killed (Khalidi estimate)
- 3,832 killed by British; 1,200 by intracommunal violence
- Arabs wounded (Khalidi estimate)
- 14,760
- Arabs hanged by British
- 108
- Palestinian Jews killed
- Up to several hundred
- General strike duration
- April to October 1936
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A surge in European Jewish immigration, the displacement of Arab rural fellahin who became landless and socially marginalized, and a cycle of violence since 1920 created mounting tensions. The immediate trigger was the murder of two Jews by a militant band and the retaliatory killing of two Arab laborers, sparking widespread unrest across Palestine.
Palestinian Arabs rose against British Mandatory rule in two phases: an initial organized strike and political protest led by the Arab Higher Committee from April to October 1936, followed from late 1937 by a peasant-led armed rebellion targeting British forces. The British Army and Palestine Police suppressed the revolt using collective punishments and repressive measures, while the Nashashibi clan actively collaborated with British forces against nationalist fighters.
The revolt failed to secure Arab independence or halt Jewish immigration. It drove Palestinian Arab leader Amin al-Husseini into exile, fractured Arab political unity, and led the British Mandate to arm and support Zionist militias such as the Haganah. This imbalance in military preparedness between the two communities significantly influenced the outcome of the 1948 Palestine war.