Palestine: A Modern History (ص 90)

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Palestine: A Modern History (ص 90)

المحتوى

190 The Great Palestine Revolt: [936-1939
Nablus and Jaffa Natidnal Committées respectively. The Arab Party,
anxious not to repeat its loss 6f initiative (of Noveriber 1935), declared
its support for a‘peneral strike as-from 21 April.
The moderates of the National Defence Party under the leadership
of Ragheb Bey Nashshibi and the commercial element who stood to
lose most heavily, while recognising the necessity for some strong
national maniféstation were iftclinkd ta limit the strike for a definite
period.!°
On 2}-April Wauchope intérviewed the party leaders and asked them
to use their influence'to check all forms of disorder and to name their
delegates to London to méet ‘the Colonial Secretary on 4 May in
London. :
Anti-British Feelings
The Arab leaders told Wauchope that they were quite willing to help
him in restoring ordér ‘but their task would be facilitated if immigra-
tion Was stopped at once’! as a temporary measure pending further
negotiations. Jamal Husseini complained that ‘The attitude of the
Police had given the impression to the Arabs that their real enemies
were the British’.!2 In view of the situation, the leader of the Arab
Party added that the deputation would not proceed to London until
peace was re-established in the country.
Anti-British feeling was the outstanding feature of the National
Committee’s call for a general strike. In its manifesto, the’ Haifa
National Committee attributed the root of evil to the oppressive policy
of the British Government.? .
Anxious to associate themselves with the sweeping popular senti-
ments the leaders of the five Arab parties issued a manifesto on 22
April where they declared the postponement of the departure of the
deputation ‘to ‘London and tequested ‘the honourable nation to
continue its present strike exhibiting patience, quietness and determina-
tion until further notice. Flour mills, bakéries, clinics, dispensaries,
‘means of transport‘ahd cafes are temporarily and until further notice
excluded from this strike’.
Two days ‘later, the National Committee of Jerusalem met ‘and
formed special organs’ to supervise the general strike. Committees for
relief,'® fund-raising, promotion of national industries and products,
transport, legal and medical services were formed to help the people
maintain the getferal strike and ‘sustain hatdship thereof. On the same
The Great Palestine Revolt: 1936-1939 191
day Arab owners and drivers of public and private motor cars and
trucks in Palestine joined the Arab shopkeepers, students, workers and
the Jaffa Port labourers in their general strike.
On 25 April a meeting of all Arab parties took place and a supreme
committee later known as the Arab Higher Committee was established.
“Hajj Amin reluctantly: accepted the presidency of the Committee. He
attributed his hesitation to his fear that the other political leaders
would not cooperate with him. It was more than likely that the real
reason for his reluctance was connected with his unwillingness to come
into direct clash with the British. The other members of the Committee
were ‘Awni ‘Abdul Hadi (Secretary), Ahmed Hilmi Pasha (Treasurer),
Ragheb Nashashibi, Jamal Husseini, ‘Abdul Latif Salah, Dr Hussein
Khalidi, Ya‘quob al-Ghussein, Ya‘quob Farraj and Alfred Rock. In an
atmosphere of enthusiasm the Higher Committee announced that the
leaders were now committed ‘to continue the General Strike until the
British Government changes its present policy in a fundamental
manner, the beginning of which is the stoppage of Jewish
immigration?!© They also reiterated their adherence to the three
national demands of the ‘national charter’, stoppage of immigration,
prohibition of land sales and a national government responsible to a
representative council.
The Higher Committee delegated. the task of co-ordinating the
activities of the various National Committees to ‘Awni ‘Abdul Hadi
who maintained daily contact by telephone. He immediately embarked
on a course of involving the Arab Kings and soliciting their assistance. A
memorandum to the H.Cr. dwelt on Jewish plans to make Arab
Palestine the land of Israel — a national state for all the Jews of the
world and maintained that the continuation of the British policy would
lead to the immediate annihilation of the Arabs of Palestine.’ Arab
bitterness against the Jews was accentuated by a speech deliyered by
Weizmann in Tel Aviv on 23 April, inswhich he said that the Arab-
Zionist struggle,was one between ‘the forces of the desert and destruc-
tion on one side and the forces of civilisation. and building on the
-other.!® :
Before the end of April Arab work and trade.were virtually at a
standstill and violent clashes between Arab demonstrators and the
polige had already led to sabotage and terrorist acts in Jerusalem:
The Aim of the Palestinian Struggle
On the eve of the general convention of the National Committees, a
meeting of the Arab Women in Jerusalem urged the Higher Committee

تاريخ

1978

المنشئ

Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali

مجموعات العناصر

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