The 1929 Western Wall Commission: When Empires Investigated Faith

In 1929, after deadly riots erupted between Jews and Muslims over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the British Mandate government appointed an international commission to determine the rights of both communities at the holy site. This episode dives into the so-called Lofgren Commission — its members, its hearings, its ruling — and how its decision, upheld by the League of Nations, tried to freeze the status quo but instead cemented a battleground. We follow the commission's journey through Jerusalem's Old City, hear testimony from figures like Haj Amin al-Husseini and Jewish leaders, and examine the document that attempted to regulate prayer, benches, and ritual objects at the Kotel. The ruling gave Muslims ownership but guaranteed Jewish access — a compromise that satisfied no one. We also explore the 1911 Ottoman status quo arrangements that preceded the Mandate, and how the commission's 1930 report shaped conflict for decades. Specific names: Eliel Lofgren, Charles Barde, Cecil van Kempen, the Shaw Commission, the Permanent Mandates Commission. Places: the Buraq, the Kotel, the Mughrabi Quarter, Jaffa Gate.

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