St. James Conference

The St. James Conference in London (named after the St. James's Palace in London, also Round Table Conference) was to bring closer the situation in Palestine of a solution under the moderation of Great Britain.

It was convened by Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary. The round tables were under the problem that the Arab delegation refused to recognize the Jewish. The meeting ended inconclusively on March 17, 1939. From the Jewish side, higher immigration quotas, additional Jewish settlements and the establishment of a legal defense forces were required. The Arabs rejected the Balfour Declaration and demanded to prohibit Jewish immigration and land purchase.

The British government felt compelled on the eve of the Second World War to operate the Arabs towards a policy of reconciliation. Britain used this forum to show that the partition plan was unrealistic, before this option was officially abandoned. It was known that the Arabs would reject a partition plan.