Palestine: A Modern History (ص 75)

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عنوان

Palestine: A Modern History (ص 75)

المحتوى

158 Prelude to Revolution: 1930-1935
The British Government maintained that they were under the
obligation to carry out the administration of Palestine in accordance
with the Articles of the Mandate. MacDonald and Passfield, however,
promised to act on land sales and Jewish immigration after Sir John
Hope Simpson, the land expert, had investigated the situation and
submitted his recommendations.
The British Government described the talks with the Delegation
as inconclusive. The Palestinian leaders, though clearly convinced that
their mission was a failure; refused to publicise their belief that it was
not possible to effect a radical change of British policy by peaceful
means. Instead they declared that they were hopeful that the British
Government would eventually accept their demands for the sake of
peace iri Palestine. :
The-despatch of Sir John Hope Simpson to Palestine reflected the
Government’s serious view of the plight of the landless peasants and
unemployed workers in Palestine. A number of surveys were conducted
by various committees in that period. According to a report on the
‘Arab farmers? economic condition’ submitted by the Commissioner of
Lands in Palestine, the two burdens which weighed most heavily on the
Arab cultivators were excessive taxation and indebtedness to Government
and to, money lenders.’’ These two factors were closely interrelated,
and their interplay forced the Arab farmers to sell their lands to the
Zionists.
The Plight of the Fellah
A. consistent campaign in the Arabic,,Press emphasising the.same facts
reported by the Commissioner of Lands was directed against the
Government’s policy and complicity, which facilitated the implemen-
tation of the Zionist plans for the gradual conquest of Palestine’and
the dispossession of the fellahin. An article by a farmer from Tulkarem,
published in Falastin.of 24 August 1930, explained the interplay
of factors that forced the Palestinian peasant to sell his land to the
Jews:
I sell my land and property because the Government compels me to
pay taxes and tithes at. time when I do not possess the necessary
means of subsistence for myself,and my family. In the circumstances
I am forced to appeal to ayrich person for a loan which I undertake
io refund together with an interest of.50% after a month or two...
I keep renewing the bill and doubling the debt. . which eventually
forces me to sell, my land,in order to refund my debt out of which |
a Government on Palestine, later known as Passfield’s W’
@ was based on Simpson’s findings and recommendation
me 6Prelude to Revolution: 1930-1935 159
took only a meagre sum.
During October 1930 the Press drew attention to the Administra-
tion’s neglect of the unemployed Arabs,'? while spending large sums
of money to relieve the Jewish workers, and complained against the
granting of concessions for the exploitation of the country’s resources
by Jewish and. foreign concerns.
Before Simpson:submitted his report and recommendations, Chan-
cellor found it necessary to take action in respect of immigration and
land sales which was calculated to have a tranquillising effect upon the
Arabs. The action was prompted by investigations which fevealed that
the: Jews had ‘recently bought or acquired options over large areas of
land and acquisition of land by them is now proceeding at such a rapid
rate.. 723 Me
On receiving Chancellor’s legislative proposals Shuckburgh anticipated
' that actions designed to protect Arab peasants were bound to detonate
‘further Jewish agitation on what\mdy Well be a most embarrasing scale’.
' The interests of the local inhabitants in Palestine were not, according to
Shuckburgh, the paramount consideration:
We have there to consider (or are always being told that we ought to
consider) not merely the existing population, but the 14 odd
-millions of Jews all over the. world who regard themselves as
potential Palestinians. The embarrassing results of this position are
obvious. But they are inherent in the Zionist policy, and must be
faced.'*
The accuracy of Shuckburgh’s assessment of the situation became
apparent in October 1930 following thespublication of the report of Sir
John Hope:Simpson,'® and the Statement of Policy by His Majesty’s
r, Which
.According to the Simpson Report the amount of cyltivable land
h available in Palestine’ — excluding the Beersheba ,Sub-District — was
only 6,544,000 dunums considerably less tham the figure given bv
some Zionists (16,000,000) and appreciably below the estimate c.
10,952,000 given by the Commissioner of Lands.'? From that basic
* calculation Simpson drew two far‘reaching conclusions:
1. If all the cultivable land in Palestine were divided up among the
f Arab agricultural population, there would not be enough to provide
; every family with a decent livelihood. ‘
en Bg moana i cot
ones

هو جزء من

Palestine: A Modern History

تاريخ

1978

المنشئ

Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali

مجموعات العناصر

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