The Arab - Jewish Struggle
Under Ottoman Rule 1882 - 1917
From the beginning Jewish settlement met with opposition from
the local Arabs. While at most times this opposition was dormant,
there were many instances when it was expressed publicly, taking
the form of sporadic attacks, usurpation of lands and the like.
It is doubtful whether this opposition had any political connotations.
In 1891, however, nine years after the beginning of the first
aliyah, the first sign of political opposition to Zionism made
its appearance. Arab notables from Jerusalem called upon the Ottoman
administration to prohibit the immigration of and the sale of
land to Jews. This request was repeated time and again.
One of the most important results of the Young Turks revolt
in 1908, which brought to the fore new rulers, was the rise of
Arab nationalism. The Arab national movement developed mostly
in Syria, Lebanon and the Land of Israel, where Arab newspapers
were founded and engaged in systematic incitement against Jewish
immigration and settlement. In Constantinople, the Arab members
of parliament denounced Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel
and described the Zionist Movement as a danger to the Ottoman
Empire. In 1912, attempts were made by Zionist groups to establish
contact with the Arab nationalist. A meeting took place between
Nahum Sokolov of the
Zionist Executive and Arab leaders. The outbreak of World War
I, ended all sorts of dialogue between the Arab leaders and the
leaders of the Zionist movement..
Under British Mandatory Rule 1918 - 1948
Weizmann Faisal Agreement
The end of World War I was followed by great agitation among
the Arab nationalists, who declared the Land of Israel to be "Southern
Syria" and demanded its incorporation into a large Arab state
with its center in Damascus.
Chaim Weizmann, head of the Zionist Commission succeeded,
however, in reaching some measure of understanding with the Emir
Faisal, son of the Sharif Hussein of Mecca, and leader of Arab
Nationalism at the time. On Jan. 3, 1919, the two men signed an
agreement that spoke of “the closest possible collaboration in
the development of the Arab state and Palestine” and of measures
"to encourage and facilitate the immigration of Jews into Palestine
on a large scale". The agreement, however, was repudiated by the
Arab nationalists.
Anti-Jewish riots in 1920 and
in 1921
In March 1920 anti-Jewish riots broke out in Jerusalem ("Bloody
Passover"). The British military authorities gave the Arabs a
free hand, while arresting the Jewish defenders, led by Vladimir
Jabotinsky, who were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment.
In April 1920, the Jewish settlements in Upper Galilee were attacked
by Arabs. Tel Hai and other
places were destroyed after a heroic defense in which Joseph
Trumpeldor and others were killed. In May 1921 an outbreak
of violence in Jaffa was followed by large scale attacks on Rehovot,
Petah Tikva, and other places. 47 Jews were killed and 140 wounded.
Arab casualties were 48 dead and 73 wounded, mostly due to action
by British troops. The disturbances demonstrated the ability of
the Arab masses and revealed the relative weakness of the yishuv.
The High Commissioner, Sir
Herbert Samuel, began to backtrack: he ordered a temporary
halt to immigration and entered into negotiations with the Arab
Executive Committee. The outcome of these negotiations was the
White Paper issued by Churchill
on June 1922.
The 1929 Disturbances
The relatively peaceful and constructive atmosphere of the years
1922-1928 was shattered by an outbreak of Arab violence in August
1929. During the preceding ten months there had been minor disputes
between Jews and Arabs about the former's right to pray at the
Western ("Wailing") Wall of the Temple Court in Jerusalem. These
arguments were exploited by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini,
to foment religious hatred by accusing the Jews of designs upon
the Muslim Holy Places in the city. On August 23, an Arab mob
tried to attack the Jews in Jerusalem. The attacks were repeated
on the following days, but were repulsed by the Haganah.
The violence spread to other parts of the country. On the Sabbath,
August 24, 70 men and women of the Jewish community in Hebron
were slaughtered. Attacks on Tel Aviv and the Jewish neighborhoods
of Haifa were repulsed, but on the fifth day of the riots, an
Arab mob killed 18 Jews and wounded many more in Safed. Several
villages were plundered and destroyed by an Arab mob. Order was
restored by British troops. The 1929 violence and riots resulted
in a parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (see Shaw
Commission of Inquiry) and a report of a British expert (see
Hope - Simpson Report), the outcome
of which was the the 1930 White
Paper, issued by the Colonial Secretary, Lord Passfield.
The Arab Revolt 1936 - 1939
The three-year period of disorder and violence, known as the
Arab Revolt, began on April 1936, when riots broke out in Jaffa.
16 Jews were killed and many more wounded. The Arabs proclaimed
a general strike. The Arab Higher Commission, headed by the Mufti,
announced that the strike would go on until the British government
fulfilled three demands:
- The stoppage of Jewish immigration,
- The prohibition of the transfer of land to Jewish ownership
- The establishment of a "general representative government".
Shortly after the outbreak of the strike, a campaign of terror
was initiated. Jewish property was burnt, Jewish passersby were
murdered, and Jewish settlements were attacked. In the hill regions
armed bands of terrorists tried to attack Jewish settlements and
convoys as well as British police and army detachments. By August
1936, the British had launched a large-scale attack upon the terrorists.
After the end of the general strike in October 1936, an uneasy
calm prevailed. In September 1937, two months after the Peel
Commission's report, the disturbances were renewed. The armed
bands operated on a large scale; their leaders instituted a regime
of terror against their Arab opponents; attacks upon the Jews
were also stepped up. By the end of 1938, the Revolt began to
decline, and by the spring of 1939, it came to an end. 80 Jews
fell victim to acts of terror in the period of the strike, while
415 were killed by the terrorists over the entire period 1937-1939.
Militarily the Arab Revolt of 1936 - 1939 ended in defeat, but
it brought the Palestinian Arabs a political reward - the 1939
White Paper.
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