Zionist Commission for Palestine
ZIONIST COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE
Official representative of the World Zionist Organization in Palestine until 1921; a precursor of the Jewish Agency Executive.
The Zionist Commission was an informal group established by Chaim Weizmann as president of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) to advise the British on policies regarding the establishment of the Jewish national home. It carried out initial surveys of Palestine and aided the repatriation of Jews sent into exile by the Ottoman Turks during World War I.
It expanded the WZO's Palestine office (established 1907) into small departments for agriculture, settlement, education, land, finance, immigration, and statistics. In 1921, the commission became the Palestine Zionist Executive, which acted as the Jewish Agency, designated to advise the British mandate authorities on the development of the country in matters of Jewish interest.
see also jewish agency for palestine; weizmann, chaim; world zionist organization (wzo).
Bibliography
Caplan, Neil. Palestine Jewry and the Arab Question, 1917–1925. London and Totowa, NJ: F. Cass, 1978.
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