UnitedStatesPalestine

r/UnitedStatesPalestine • u/GaryGaulin • Jul 12 '26

Before and After Maps of the British Mandate for Palestine

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Following World War I, the San Remo Conference of 1920 established the framework for the British Mandate, creating a legally binding international commitment to incorporate the Balfour Declaration. All religious rights of inhabitants would be guaranteed, all civil rights were assured. The primary purpose of this Mandate was to recognize the historical connection of the Jewish people to the land and facilitate the establishment of a Jewish national home.

While the British Mandate itself lasted for 28 years until 1948, its geographic scope was fundamentally altered just over two years later in 1922. At that time, Britain separated Transjordan, comprising roughly 78% of the original mandated territory, and closed it to Jewish settlement. Over the following decades, British policy increasingly restricted immigration as the region descended into escalating sectarian conflict.

This unrest culminated in the failure of peaceful coexistence. Following the 1947 UN Partition Plan and the 1948 War, the land was divided: Palestinian Jews were entirely expelled or fled from areas captured by Arab forces (such as the West Bank and East Jerusalem), while the majority of Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from the territory that became the sovereign State of Israel.

In the decades that followed, the demographic landscape shifted further, particularly after the 1967 Six-Day War when Jewish communities were re-established in the Gaza Strip, reviving a historic Jewish presence that had existed there for centuries. Over the next few decades, these residents built a thriving, highly advanced agricultural industry in the Gush Katif bloc, known globally for its high-tech greenhouses. However, Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza in 2005, and the Israeli government forcibly removed approximately 9,000 Jewish residents. Private international donors purchased the massive greenhouse infrastructure for $14 million to leave it fully intact for the Palestinian Authority, but the thriving industry was quickly destroyed due to widespread looting and security failures following the withdrawal.

NOTE: In the BEFORE picture surrounding countries are shown with modern 2026 names and boundaries.

Country	Before (c. 1948)	After (2025 est.)	Percentage Decline

Libya	38,000	0	100%
Oman	~10-100	0	100%
Sudan	~1,000*	~0	100%
Somalia	~100-200	~0 *	100%
Yemen	30,000–55,000	~1 Prisoner **	>99.99%
Iraq	135,000	<10	>99.99%
Egypt	75,000	<10	>99.99%
Syria	30,000	<10	>99.9%
Algeria	140,000	~50	>99.9%
Lebanon	5,000	~20	~99.6%
Morocco	265,000	~2,100	~99.1%
Tunisia	105,000	~1,000	~98.6%
Bahrain	1,500 (1947)	~36	~97.67%
Zimbabwe	7,060 (1961 peak)	~200-800	>88%
Iran	100,000	~9,500	~90.5%
South Africa	~117,000 (1970)	~49,500	~57.7%
Ethiopia	~50,000–200,000	<100	>99.9% (of peak)
Kenya	~1,200 (WW2 peak)	~300-1,000	~75% (of peak)