BACK TO TIMELINE
Ottoman Period and Modern Era
  • The British High Commissioner's Palace. G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection
    The British High Commissioner's Palace. G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection
    View Image
  • Symbol of the British Empire Credit: Sodacan via Wikimedia Commons.
    Symbol of the British Empire Credit: Sodacan via Wikimedia Commons.
    View Image
Ottoman Period and Modern Era

The High Commissioner’s Watchful Eye

In 1933, the British completed construction of Government House, the high commissioner’s palace, on the ridge overlooking ancient Jerusalem from the south. The choice of Jerusalem as the center of government attested more than anything else to the religious and political importance the British ascribed to the city. Eventually, when ties deteriorated between the British and the Jewish community seeking its independence, this building became a hated symbol.