1931 in the British Mandate of Palestine

Events in the year 1931 in the British Mandate of Palestine.

Incumbents

• High Commissioner - Sir John Chancellor until 20 November; Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope
• Emir of Transjordan - Abdullah I bin al-Hussein
• Prime Minister of Transjordan - Hasan Khalid Abu al-Huda until 22 February; Abdallah Sarraj

Events

• 10 April - The right-wing "revisionist" Zionist armed underground paramilitary group "Irgun" (meaning "Organization", a short form for the full name "National Military Organization", whose acronym in Hebrew is pronounced "Etzel") is founded by Avraham Tehomi together with several other former Haganah commanders. The founders had left the Haganah due to their objection to the official policy of havlagah (restraint), which Jewish political leaders (who had become increasingly controlling of the Haganah) had imposed on the militia, and they demanded more decisive action against the rising Arab violence which targeted Palestinian Jews.
• 18 November - The 1931 census of Palestine is carried out by the Mandate authorities under the direction of Major E. Mills.

Unknown dates

• The founding of the kibbutz Ein HaHoresh by Hashomer Hatzair members from Eastern Europe who reclaimed the land.

Notable births

• 27 November - Jacob Ziv, Israeli computer scientist.
• Full date unknown
  • Naim Attallah, Palestinian Arab businessman and writer.
  • Farouk Kaddoumi, Palestinian Arab, senior member of Fatah.
  • Taha Muhammad Ali, Israeli Arab poet (d. 2011).

Notable deaths

• 16 April - Rachel Bluwstein (commonly referred to as "Rachel the poetess") (b. 1890), Russia-born Palestinian Jewish poet.