Palestine: A Modern History (ص 37)

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Palestine: A Modern History (ص 37)

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76 Polarisation: The Military Administration 1917-1920
seems extremely probable that there weré! dgents provocateurs
intermingled with them here awaiting their opportunity.!2% According
to Darwaza, anti-Zionist 4nd anti-British slogans were shouted"in the
protession."2° ‘Isa as-Sifri, a Palestinian Christian, recorded that ‘the
Palestinian Christians -participated in the procession calling’ for Atab
unity and independence and declaring their opposition to Zionist
immigration.‘ '
After hearing the speeches and as the procession Was passing through
the Jaffa Gate, an explosion occurred:
a of # ‘ t ; * }
u!Fhe exdct incident!which causéd:the explosion has not been clearly
ascertained — possibly there.were more than ‘one. . there is: some
evidence to show that. the attitude of the Jewish spectators was in
certain’ cases provocative, but/it appears much more likely that the
mirie was deliberately fired by*some-dgents provocateubs raising the
cry of an insult to the banner by a Jew.. .It-is--quite evident,
however, that in the excited condition to which the pilgrims ' ‘tound
the Nadi el-Araby Club had been wrought by the speeches ofthe
‘politica orators and the’ exhibition‘ of Emir? Feisal’s portrait, tite
‘most trivial incident would be sufficierft to cause an outbfeak, 15?
” 4, H ri
Thes explosion Jed to stone-throwing at the shops’in the vicinity of
the incidetit. Séveral Jews weré also beaten ‘and! at least -one stabbed.
The ct6wi"then passed ‘down into the city looting Jewish shops-and
“assaulting Jews. ‘There is*somt evidence to show that a few of thie Jews
were armed and occasionally retaliated by firing. on the mob?.'%
The outbreak lasted sporadically from. 4 to 10° April, Fightirig and
looting took place ‘despite the declaration of Maftial Law.:This' was
partly ‘due to the-harrow,alleys’of the old city of Jerusalem’ as well as to
the state of exasperation and’ excitetmént prevalent ‘amiong tHe Arabs at
that time. -The’tetal casualties reported amounted ‘to 251, of which 9
died, 22°were seriously wounded’and 220 slightly:wwoupded. Of these
casualties, ‘the Jews sustained 5 killed, 18 seriously avounded ‘and 193
slightly wounded, most of which. restilted from Arab.attacks with
knives, stitks and stones. Seven British soldiers were reported wounded
— 4ll apparently at the hands of the Arab mob. The ‘Arabs sustained 28
casualties, 4 of which Wete Rilled by fifearms.The Court suspected that
‘a nutiber of fellahin suffering from sligttt wounds may have estaped to
the courtry’. , ' "
From all the evidente available the Court concluded that ‘the attack
was entirely ‘against the Jews”. Névertheless, the Court admitted that, in
Polarisation: the Military-Administration 1917-1920 77
f Palestine; the British were k
&
faced with a native population thoroughly exaperated by a sense of
injustice and disappointed hopes, ‘panic stricken as to their future
and as to ninety per cent of their numbers in consequence bitterly
hostile to the British Administration.’
Before. coming tg the Court’s conclusions, two phendmena stand out
| in the report under discussion relevant to the Anglo-Zionist ¢con-
; vergence in Palestine and the nature of Arab opposition to that alliance
. during the disturbances of 1920. The first was the emergence of Jewish
” Self-Defence’ units, the Hagana, raised by V. Jabotinsky, who served as
@ a lieutenant in the British Army duying the War, and Mr Rutenberg,
| who was a prominent Russian official, under Kerensky (1917). The
Court’s report stated that these units were raised without the Adminis-
tration’ Ss approval or knowledge, but nevertheless ‘were openly drilling
at the back of Lemel school and on Mount Scopus’, 135 a fact that was
. familiar to the Arabs during the month of, March. Of greater significance
was the Administration’s decision to use the illegal Jewish units.!%°
The .other phenomenon was the divergence of views between the
| Zionist leaders and some British officials, including the members of the
Court, as to the real causes of Arab unrest in Palestine.
It has been. said by the Zionists that the popular excitement is purely
artificial and largely the result of propaganda by the effendi,class,
which fears to lose.its pgsition owing to Jewish competition. dt is
sufficient,to quote the evidence of Major Waggett with, which the
Court finds itself in full accord, when he says: ‘It is very important
to. realise that the opposition is by no means superficial or manu-
factured, and F consider this a dangerous, view to take of the
situation’. 1137
a %
, In their final conclusions the members of the Court pointed out that
; ‘The Administration was considerably, hampered in its policy by the
i direct interference of the Home Authorities’. They also found it
necessary to warn that ‘the situation at present obtaining in Palestine is
' exceedingly dangerous,and demands firm and patient handling if a
serious catastrophe is to be avoided’. '**
, Various prison sentences were passed against twenty-three individuals
, for complicity inthe Jerusalem disturbances.!9?
The Easter troubles bropght to a head the question of the Mayoralty
om tom
—y

تاريخ

1978

المنشئ

Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali

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