A History of Palestinians' Welfare in Mandate Palestine

Background and Purpose:
While the development of Israel's welfare state has been widely studied, there is limited historical scholarship on welfare systems among Palestinians during the British Mandate in Palestine (1917–1948). This formative period laid key foundations for current welfare structures, yet the experiences and systems that served the Palestinian population under British colonial rule remain underexplored. This study seeks to illuminate how Palestinians’ social needs were addressed during the Mandate period and to map the local and international actors involved in providing welfare services. Building on Shatz’s (2017) analysis of colonial structures in Palestine, the study argues that welfare provision in this context was shaped not only by British or Zionist actors but also by a broader imperial system emerging after World War I.

Methods:
The research adopts a historical-qualitative approach, drawing on diverse archival materials and secondary sources. Given the fragmented nature of historical data on Palestinian society during the Mandate era, the study integrates sources from various archives and published materials to reconstruct a picture of welfare activity during this time.

Findings:
Preliminary findings reveal that the roots of welfare provision among Palestinians trace back to the Ottoman period, with institutions such as the Takiyya Khasaki Sultan—a public soup kitchen in Jerusalem—continuing to operate into the Mandate period. Cities like Haifa, Jerusalem, and Jaffa emerged as welfare hubs. Religious institutions, particularly the Supreme Muslim Council, played a pivotal role in providing health and education services and establishing orphanages and clinics that served the local population. These findings suggest the existence of a vibrant and locally embedded welfare system before 1948, contributing to a fuller understanding of Palestinian social history and the pre-state foundations of welfare in the region.