Palestine: A Modern History (ص 87)

غرض

عنوان

Palestine: A Modern History (ص 87)

المحتوى

182 Prelude to Revolution: 1930-1935 1:
goodwill messages on that occasior! were lukewarm. They could: not
help’ feeling that Qassam’s revolt was an indictment of their ‘futile
methods and that his selflessness contrasted with their selfish motives
and pursuits. a ;
Subsequently, However, the Palestinian leaders felt compelled to
adopt: a less conciliatory policy towards tthe*British. In an interview
_ with Wauchope six days after Qassam’s death, representatives of the
five Arab parties submitted a.mitmorandum and told the High
Commissioner that = 4 . ’
Unless they received a-reply to their memorandum which codld be
generally regarded as giving satisfaction ‘to their requests, they would
lose all influence with their-followers; extreme and irresponsible
counsels would prevail and. the political situation would tapidly
deteriorate.\?
In his coveting letter Wauchope inforrhed J.H. Thomas, the new
Colonial Secretary, that the Arab leaders were
right in saying *that dtherwise they will lose such influence as they
possess and that the possibility,of alleviating the present situation by
means of moderate measures suggested by me will disappear.’??
Qassam’s revolt cast a long shadow on the Palestinian political scene,
and any attempt to effect a detente in the situation was doomed to
failure. Less than a month after the troops’ encounter with Qassam, the
CID was expressing its concerti at the turn of events. Hostility against
the Government, they: reported, had spread to the villages of Palestine.
Qassam and his followers were held in high esteem as heroes and
martyrs. There: were popular discussions over the fact that the Egyptian
nationalists had obtained concessions from the British only after they
resorted to more violent means than hitherto. A more serious develop-
ment was the emergence of radical youth groups under revolutionary
leadership, to replace the discrédited older political leadership.
The new formations popped up in the major towns and were led or
inspired by the young radical with whose name, the group was
associated. Akram Zu‘ayter was associated with the Nablus group and
Hamdi Husseini led the, Jaffa radicals in collaboration with Michel
Mitri, leader of the Arab Labour Society of Jaffa. At Qalqilya a new
Revolutionary Youth Committee was formed; in Tulkarem, Salim
‘Abdul Rahman and the Arab Scout leaders led another, youth group;
Prelude to Revolution: 1930-1935 183
and at Haifa ‘Aref Nuralla led a similar movement. These groups were
supported by Darwaza and ‘Ajaj Nweihed, both of them founding
members of the /stigial Party. Hamdi Husseini and Akram Zu‘ayter
contributed regular articles to Jamal Husseini’s newspaper al-Liwa (The
Standard).
According to CID reports these combined groups intended:
(a) To direct political agitation against the British authorities,
and not against Zionism. This is clear from their writings and
speeches.
(b)To force the Party leaders to adopt some firm decision at the
Nablus meeting on the 15th January, such as non-cooperation, non-
payment of taxes, demonstrations, etc.
(c) To stimulate agitation ‘and public feeling until the meeting on
the 15th January.
(d) Subsequently to create disorders.'™
oye
: 7 !
The shape of things to come had already been determined, and the
showdown between the British and the Palestinian Arabs became only
a matter of time. '
i
Notes '
1. Chancellor to Passfield, 17 January 1930,CO 733/182, p.2.
2, Chancellor to Passfield, 22 February 1930, CO 733/190.
3. Toynbee, Arnold Survey of International Affairs, 1930. London, 193%, p.282.
4. Chancellor to Passfield, 22 February 1930, op.cit., p.8.
5. Ibid., p.9.
6. Shaw Commission Report, op.cit., p.113. "
7. In the years 1921+1925 thé Jews acquired 236 obo diinums almost éxclusively
from individual absentee landlords: Between 1921 and 1930 the Jews *
gradually acquired undivided shares in the village lands, which they sought
to partition and dispossess the villagers of the lands. Ibid., pp.51-2.
8. Ibid., p.129.
9. Ibid., p.98.
10. For a report submitted by the Delegation on the London hegotiation to the
Executive Committee on 27 July 1930, see Documents, op.cit., pp.181-8.
11. See Chancellor to Passfield, 17 April 1930, Enclosure, CO 733/185:
12. According to a report by Hyamson, Chief Immigration Officer, thenamber of
unemployed was in excess of 12,000 in December 1930, see Chancellor to
Passfield, 18 July 1931, Enclosute A, CO 733/202.
13. See Departmental Note by Shuckburgh, 18 June 1930, June 733(1 85.
14, Ibid.
1s. ‘Palestine: Report on tmmigratigh, Land Settlénient and Development by Sir
John Hope-Simpson’, Cmd. 3686," 1930.
16. ‘Palestine: Statement of Policy by His Majesty’s Government in the “United
Kingdom’, Cmd. 3692, 1930.
17. These estimates were quoted in the Peel Commission Report, op‘cit., p.71.
PI ART ee SOR eR Ss
AM Be ag OR em
oe

تاريخ

1978

المنشئ

Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali

مجموعات العناصر

Generated Pages Set