Britain's Withdrawal from Palestine: May 1948

Britain ended its 30-year League of Nations Mandate over Palestine at midnight, 14–15 May 1948.

Sequence

• 1947 Nov 29: UNGA Resolution 181 recommends partition.
• 1948 Feb: UK announces termination by 15 May.
• 1948 May 14 (afternoon): Last High Commissioner, Sir Alan Cunningham, departs Jerusalem.
• Midnight 14/15 May: Mandate legally expires. State of Israel declared (Ben-Gurion, Tel Aviv).
• May 15: First Arab–Israeli War begins (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon invade).
• Late May–June: Residual British forces (Gen. MacMillan) withdraw, covering UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) deployment.

Key Instrument: Palestine Act 1948 (UK Parliament) repealed the Mandate legislation.

Britain left without implementing partition, handing the conflict to the UN and the warring parties—a withdrawal widely criticized as precipitate and irresponsible.