Palestine: A Modern History (ص 25)

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Palestine: A Modern History (ص 25)

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a
52 Polarisation: The Military Administration 1917-1920
and Christidn, interpreted the Declaration as an intention of the
British Government to set up a Jewish Government at the end of the
War, to deprive the Arabs of their land and cast them from the
country. They looked upon the Commission as the advanced guard
of Jewish capitalists and expropriators, and naturally have received
“with the greatest amount of suspicion.?
As for the British authorities in the ‘area Weizrnahn informed
Brandeis: that ‘the British officials have tried their best before our
arrival to allay the suspicions ofthe Arabs both in-Egypt arid Palestine’.
On 8 May, the Military Governor of Jaffa summoned the political
and religious notables of the Arab port to meet Weizmann. After
listening to Weizmiann’s speech, an Arab spokestnan assured the Zionist
leader that ‘both Moslems and Christians shall treat their compatriots
the Jews as they treat one another so:long as the Jews regard and
respect the rights of these two religions, thus confirnting their words
by their action’. The Palestinian spokesman availed himself of the
opportunity.to demand "
that Great Britain will allow representation of the Moslems and
Christians to attend the sittings of the Convention or the body of
men that have to consider and settle the question of this country.”
t
_ Shortly after hearing the Palestinian demand ‘Weizmann hastened to
write to Balfour arguing against the application of the.democratic system
as it ‘does not take into account the superiority of the Jew to the “Arab,
the fundamental qualitative difference between:Atab and Jew’! . In the
: Polarisation: The Military Administration 1917-1920 53
and we only. We can-give him the necessary assistance in money and
in organising power. We shall be his neighbours and we do not
represent any danger to him, as we are not and never shall be a great
power. We are natural intermediaries between Great Britain and the
- Hedjaz.
? Weizmann’s meeting with Faisal took place on June 1918 at: Wahida.
‘according to Colonel Joyce’s report the meeting was cordial but Faisal
$ non-committal: ‘
} Sharif Faisal declared that:as an Arab he could not discuss the future
; of Palestine either as a Jewish (Colony or a country under ‘British
: Protection. These questions were already the subject of such German
and Turkish propaganda and would undoubtedly be misunderstood
by the unedycated Bedouins,if openly discussed. Later on wherf Arab
. affairs wére more consolidated these, questigns could be braqught
up. ,,
,, At a meeting of the London Zionist Political Committee held’ on
‘6 August, Nahum Sokolow, jwho was in, ithe chair, confirmed the
rpose, of the Zionist, contacts with the Arabs outside Palestine (Cairo
and Hedjaz), when he said that the Zionists ‘hoped to entertain the best
tations with the real representatives of Arabs outside Palestine so as to
fluence the Arabs inside Palestine’? * ;
“a
The Zionist efforts in this direction were spurred by the, tactics of
“ the Palestinian Arab leadership. For as the, convergence in British
same letter Weizmann put forth proposals forthe founding of a’ Hébrew
University, the handing over of the Wailing Wall to the Jews and the
acquisition of Crown, waste and unoccupied lands in Palestine by the
Zionists.*2 The Zionist ledder‘then proceeded to-Submit td‘ the British
Foreign Secretary a plan to circumvent Palestinian Arab opposition to
Pooticies and Zionist aims in Palestine became clearer, the Palestinian
Ri ‘Arabs sought to restore the balance of power by closer alliance, with the
Symain Arab movement. During the second half of May 1918, the
“jMMllestinians adopted ‘the ‘Arab Flag” and the “Arab Atithem’” (of the
orel « Rrab Revolt) ds Palestine’s own. +‘
Zionism: ‘ » "* The Palestinidns quest for greater Arab concern and backing was not ’
Beir sole reaction to the impending dangers. Spurred: by the Zionist
- * Phallenge, the Palestinians tried to set up ‘political,-sdcial and educa-
‘Hidnal' institutions in an effort to achievé greater interhal cohesion and
vival, which was ‘deemed all’ the more necessary in view of the
dssibility of being politically isolated and‘ denied contact with the
ighbouring Arabs. —
On ‘6 June Fhe: Palestine News reported the founding of the
Yollowing societies in Jaffa: “Dar al‘Ulum al- Islanliyya (The Islamic
The problem of our relations with the’ Palestinian ‘Arabs is an
economic problem, not a political one. From the political point of
view the Arab centre of gravity is not Palestine, but the Hedjaz,
really the triangle formed by Mecca, Damascus and-Baghdad.: am
just setting out on a visit to the son of the King of the Hedjaz. |
propose to tell him that if he wants to build up a strong and
prosperous Arab kingdom, it is we Jews who will be able to help him

تاريخ

1978

المنشئ

Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali

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