As a result, Britain lifted the limitations on Jewish immigration to Palestine, brushing aside Arab opposition by military force. Several Arab revolts were firmly put down, initially by the British, but soon the swelling ranks of the Jewish defence organisation Haganah allowed it to cow all opposition to continued settlement. By January 1st 1948, in the “Sixth Aliyah”, an additional four million Jews had settled in what would become the Republic of Israel, outstripping the Arab population of Palestine by a factor of at least 5:1. Already Palestinians were fleeing their homeland for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.