Zionist and British policies come into direct…

Zionist and British policies come into direct conflict with the outbreak of the Second World War on September 3, 1939.

The Zionists regard the White Paper as a betrayal of the Balfour Declaration and a particularly egregious act in light of the desperate situation of the Jews in Europe, who face extermination.

Ben-Gurion reacts by calling upon the Jewish community to rise against England (thus heralding the decade of "fighting Zionism").

He declares on behalf of the Jewish Agency: "We shall fight [with Great Britain in] this war as if there was no White Paper and we shall fight the White Paper as if there was no war."