Palestine: A Modern History (ص 101)

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Palestine: A Modern History (ص 101)

المحتوى

212 = The Great Palestine Revolt: 1936-1939
Many of the new formations were named after the early’ leaders of
Islam. Contact!between Headquarters and the varibus formations was
conducted through méssengers .and’ occasional visits by rebeb leaders
to Damascus. The precarious authority of Headquarters was maintained
through financial.and medicalaid and: the supply of -arms-to rebel
bands. AlMaktab al:‘Arabi al-Qawmi (The Arab National Bureau) in
Damascus acted ay'the propaganda orgén of the rebellion. i
‘ '
?
The Rebels Gain the Upper.Hand
The ‘rebels wete'rfdt totally: orseven mainly dependent dir assistance
from Darhascus, Which colleéted-contributions from variousArab and
Muslim countries fis they- Were able’ to exérci§e quthority inva large
number: -ofi villages. In: “theif féadquarters in the hills ‘the rebels
establishét rebelcourts, adniinistrative offices and intelligence centres.
In ‘view of the’ bredkdown of ¢ivil povernment the Villagers frequently
and often freely resorted to these courts, and the febels were’ able
toevy taxes atid quotas‘of voluntéers on the villages.
The -rebel teadets irlthethills'wéfe also-able to maintain contact-with
activists and terrorists in the towns and cities.-Fhe-activists ‘colletted
contributions in’thé’cities‘and: provided’ information for the rebels while
the terrorists'attatked British and Jewish targéts inside their cities. The
terrorists ‘also intimidated the Arab‘ édllabofatorg ‘through tlireats ahd
assassinations. A number of educated ‘Palestinians acted as cénsiiltants
and adv¥isors«to the! rebel leaders-and were particularly useful in’ the
Courts'establishéd‘by: the rebels. .
7In addition -to the Palestinian peasants and town activists the
rebellion attracted parties’ of young men ‘with vague pan-Arab
enthusiasms’*° Wwho- formed themselves into small bands and acted as
guerrillas'on the*frontiers of Palestine’ They affected aikind funiform
resembling that adopted’ by the late King Faisal’s followers in 4918.
They received no payment, but:obtained afaple supplies of arms when
they gotlinto Palestine’:!° = "
The dramatic. growth of’ the rebels* strength: dnd. activities‘brought
about a.change in the British military leadership? Sir Harold MacMichael,
the New High’ Commissioner; and Lieutenant-General Hairiing, the new
G@C, took a number ofdrastic' méasures to wrest: the’initiative’ from
rebelsi A wire-fence-alongithé nitrthern and north-eastern: frdnitier was
erected avith policé' posts. and? fortifications in the Jordan+Valley to
isolatg! the rebels and cut their supply'foutes acréss thé Jofdatt? In view
of an expected ‘enhancement/of triumphant lawlessnés amounting to
insurrection’, the High Commhissioner contemplated the arming of Jews
The Great Palestine Revolt: 1936-1939 213
by Government:‘for active operations and not merely for static as at
present’.10 a bow
Following his arrival, General Haining launched*'a number of
offensives, in which thé RAF and armour units took»an active part.
These operations proved to be ‘disappointing’ and as the armed bands
weze no longer offering battle voluntarily’ Haining and. his-assistant
adopted a plan ‘for a prolonged occupation of a large number‘of villages
in’ Galilee and Samaria, with the object of denying basis “to the
bands’.!°3 The result was a decrease of incidents irthe occupied areas,
and an increase in sabotage on’ thetroads, railways, telephone ‘lines,
IPC pipeline.and inereased.attacks.on military patrols and half- hearted
tattacks — to use Haining’s description — on isolated Jewish colonies.
'The intensification of the military effort against the rebelswas
caccompanied. by heavy-handed actions against “the civil population.
Wholesale arrests, long curfews, .extensive demolitions and.collective
fines did not enhance the popularity of British rule. In the cities the
‘situation .was getting out of hand as. strikes, demonstrations, Arab-
Jewish reprisals and curfews became almost daily occurrences.™™
sHaining took the success of the rebel courts and their system of tax
collection asa. symptom of rural hostility to government which
‘produced a more united front’.
_Alternative to Partition '
It was at ‘this point, when the rebellion was,gathering. momentunrthat
-Jamal Husseini attempted to.articuldte the Palestinian Arab* national
wemafds in a manner calculgtedito appeal.to the hardpressed: British
*Government. In a private lettertto Malcolm MacDonald, Husseini
.offered ‘an alternative to partition:
7. . +
We are prepared to take in the,present Jewish population in Palestine
and give them full and equal rights and proportionate seats in all
Government institutions with Municipal andcommunal autonomy in
strictly Jewish settlements.!° wea th
t he ow al . et
Nothing came out of this initiative as the Zionists were: determined to
have a Jewish State and, as.thie British were’equally determined to crush
the rebellion before.entering into any negotiations with the Arab’s.
The initiative; however, remained in the hands of the rebels in the
country and with the ‘activists in the cities. Thetincrease in sabotage and
bombing incidents led to streets fighting in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa.
On 6 July, a bomb planted by extremists Jews! exploded in the
me
cro er ea. a os

تاريخ

1978

المنشئ

Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali

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