National riots and movements on the eve of the occupation of Palestine (2)

In the years that we are speaking about, the ever-increasing flood of immigration of Jews to Palestine under the British government regulatory programs and the rising tide of land and displacement of Arabs from their lands and the dozens of Zionist terrorist organization and arming them and creation of an atmosphere of fear and intimidation by government of British for the Arabs all put Palestinians in a very chaotic and difficult situation. On the other hand, "the economic crisis of capitalism world rose in Palestine (of that day) as well. Many branches of local industry and the number of unemployed dropped from 30 to 35 thousand tons. About (year) 1930 C., wages fell by 50% and food and rent prices that were originated from unlimited immigration of Jews, made the workers’ lives hard”.
In such crisis situations, suffering and anger of the Palestinian nation was in emotionally and intellectually preparation to express any sacrifice and resurrection and revolution, but cultural weakness and neglect of people and lack of focus of leadership and doubt and confusion of leaders the inability of their decision-making and not having appropriate programs, and concern of department and maintaining social status and compromising in working ... all were the factors which prevented continuous and effective incidence of a popular revolution.
However, in 1933 C., a popular uprising emerged from the land of Palestine. This time, unlike 1929 C. uprising which was against the Zionists Jews, its sharp edge targeted the British colonial government.
In March 1933 C., the Executive Committee of the Arab during a statement called the government of Great Britain as the real enemy of the Palestinian people and said that by all means we should get rid of it.
On 27 October, the revolution’s fire of the city of Jaffa flared. More than seven thousand angry demonstrators gathered with cold weapons. All shops and markets of the city were closed. Transportations were stopped and scope of the strike had been expanded to other cities. In clashes with police and government forces, the police shoot to demonstrators and many were injured. Shooting of people in the night to the English forces fell a number of them to the ground as well and they were dead. In Haifa two thousand rebels attacked the city’s jail and tried to control the railway station and the police. In Nablus, nearly three thousand people went to fight armed with English forces. In the fetus and Acre, rebellion was vaster and a number of policemen were disarmed by the people.
In this popular uprising that continued for one week (until November), Arab women have shown a new epic role. About five hundred of them provoked men to fight and defend their homeland in Jerusalem by chanting national songs.
Although the unrest in 1933 C. included most major cities such as Jaffa, Jerusalem, Haifa, Safed, Nablus, Tulkarm, Jenin and Acre, but they rebelled when the uprising was suppressed in those cities and not a big result occurred. Anyway the extent of the strike and the unprecedented volume of Arab clashes with the forces of English should not be ignored.
Wiseman wrote in his Political Notes in the importance and impact of the riots:
From the inception of Zionism movement Great Britain embraced it and supported its goals and agreed to surrender the Palestine to the Jews in 1934 C., after the expulsion of the Arab inhabitants. If riots and revolutions of Palestinian Arabs have not be repeated, certainly it would have be achieved in due time.
During this period efforts and struggles Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam and his companions also failed.
his resurrection with the slogan of "God's book in one hand and a weapon in the other hand" raised the support and affirmation of the popular masses and the flame of hope kindled in their hearts and all crossed a line on all political actions and interactions and compromise and showed that the only effective way to solve the Palestinian crisis was the armed jihad in wide and consistent fights against the combined force of English and Jewish.
He was a sincere and intelligent clergyman and had enlightenment and sufficient knowledge of religion and knew some trainings in the rhetoric and how to influence others. He organized the jihadi resistance cores based on farmers and workers and popular forces in Palestine by doing the principles of secrecy.
After the events of 1933 C., Qassam purchased weapons by preparing necessary financial assistance.
Although total membership of Izz al-Din al-Qassam’s organizations and his supporters did not exceed more than one thousand people and his military plans to take over the city of Haifa were exposed before accomplishing any action, but Qassamian unequal and courageous fight against the armed forces of English created such enthusiasm that in his supporters and him self’s funeral more than thirty thousand Palestinian people participated during which the English forces were involved and they escaped.
Thus, the uprising of Qassam depicted the futility of political actions for the liberation of Palestine from the clutches of Zionism, and Palestinian anger noticed the Britain's hypocritical policies more than past.
The British government and his political leaders besides official, clear, countless supports of the Jews, tried to talk with Arabs and by reassuring promises and deceptive speeches tried to calm them down and grab the opportunity out of their hands and give them to Jews. They had repeatedly stated that Jewish immigration to Palestine should not harm the interests of the Arab nation. Any action that leads to ignoring the interests of the Arabs is rejected by the Administration State. Arabs’ anger of Jewish immigration to Palestine is natural because they think Jews have to expel Arabs from their homes and their country! ...
But on the other hand, the administration government deprived indigenous Palestinian Arabs of their weapons, and gave all features and benefits to the Jews. Including the utilization of the waters of the Dead Sea Score to "Palestine Potash Company", outputting the power of electricity from the waters of the Jordan River to the "Palestine Electric Company", and it gave the mining salt right to "salt company" that all were the Jewish companies. British also supported Israeli industry about customs and even the cost of strengthening it was on charge of Arab consumers. In such a critical situation, illegal immigration and increasing Jews made the situation greatly frightened and added anger of Palestinians.
Between 1931- 1935 C., especially with the growth of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, the British government increased Jewish immigration levels and thus their population increased by 30% in Palestine during this period, thus the Jews did anything to buy lands by any prices and by unprecedented tempting.
On the other hand, evidences showed that Jews ignored administration government and smuggled large quantities of weapons into Palestine. They wanted to be prepared for the implementation of the policy of "gathering and rush". They trained military exercises to their youth.
... These are all factors that could cause emergence of a new revolution around the Palestinian only by a spark.
The spark kindled "In February 1936 C. when the government signed a contract with Jewish contractor to build three schools in Joppa. The mentioned contractor opposed with the employment of even one Arab in this plan. Then a guard of Arab workers was held here to siege one of the schools in question and stop Jewish workers from receipting it ».
This simple event kindled the flame of the tutelage of the Palestinian revolution. The uprising began with a massive strike in all towns and villages and continued for six months (April to September). Several government agents of Great Britain died from a bullet shot and in following the British government did violence acts against Arabs across the Palestine and under the pretext of finding weapons destroyed hundreds of flattened homes, especially in Jaffa and burned several villages by aircraft. Administration government arrested ten thousands of Palestinians and imprisoned them, and many Muslims were sentenced to heavy punishments through military tribunals.
In a statement, National Committee of Haifa attributed the root of all ills and evil to the British government's oppressive policies.
From coalition of all parties in Palestine, "Arab Higher Committee" was formed that was supposed to continue strikes until a fundamental change in British Zionist policy in Palestine. Hence, the committee stated that the fulfillment of stopping strikes and calming people requires three conditions to be done:
1. cessation of Jewish immigration to Palestine.
2. Banning the sale of land to Jews.
3. The formation of a national government based on democratic parliament.
However, the government announced that during the next six months 4500 new Jewish immigrants will enter into the Palestine. This News escalated anger and inflammation of Palestinians and placed the quiet protests and strikes with the armed struggles. Armed groups that were previously organized in groups of fifteen to twenty people, since this time were placed in groups fifty to seventy people.
Arab revolutionaries were divided into three groups:
The first group was militants who were entrenched in the mountains, In order to confront the enemy and persecution and destruction of oil pipelines and other facilities.
The second group was urban activists who along with their normal lives, sometimes undertook covert special missions.
The third group, which included largely agriculturists and many more, were the supporters of Warriors and when necessary, carried weapons to fight alongside with the Mujahideen.
Great Britain government by sending troops under the command of Field Marshal's (Wavell) began repression of people. Along with the British army, several Jewish armed groups started to burn Arab villages and kill farmers and execute patriots. During the operation, English aircraft poured explosives on people by flying over towns and villages.
Along with these actions, the Jews constructed Tel Aviv port in the vicinity of the port of Jaffa, to be independent of it.
While the British government found itself in the throes of an unprecedented crisis came and the problem of the Palestinian popular uprising had occupied the government and parliament of Great Britain’s minds and had made them to think hardly to reduce the severity of the situation by restriction of Jewish immigration. Meanwhile, Zionists by putting pressure on the British government forced it to refrain from any revision of the immigration of Jews to Palestine.
Weizmann and Ben-Gurion, in a meeting with Aormez Bigor (British Colonial Secretary) said that if the UK wants to adopt a policy in favor of the Arabs, the Zionists will create a revolution in their relations with the UK and will work to drive out the British from the region.
Following these talks, the British Colonial Office by publishing a highly critical statement called the uprising of the Palestinian people as "blatant defiance against British rule" and by sending new troops under the command of General Dale (Dill), began vast new measures to crack down on rebels in a way that the fiercest fighting occurred between the English and Arab revolutionaries.
In the meantime, the government by claiming that the rulers of the Arabic countries have interceded at the request of Palestinian leaders hesitated the revolutionary spirit of the Arabs.
Immediately Arab Higher Committee dismissed the claim in a statement and said that Arabs respect to their kings and mediation is undoubtedly the best solution! Thus, representatives of the Arab Higher Committee rushed to meet the kings of Jordan and Saudi, and they issued a joint message after consultation with the British government, along with the kings of Iraq and Yemen and by saying that they have no doubt in the goodness and benevolent of Britain (!), asked the Palestinian people to end their strikes and revolution.
This colonial trick and political deception, which was formed by betrayal of Arab mercenary and initiation of the government of Great Britain heads and raised the joy and excitement in Zionist leaders, freed United Kingdom of a great descend, and once again it had the opportunity to dominate over Palestine.
It was natural that this time the British exacerbate their repressive policies. Thus it retired the Arab Higher Committee and exiled its leaders to Palestine. Military courts, committed hundreds of revolutionaries to death and thousands of people were sent to prisons.
While these events were taking place, the Jewish Agency in the arms of government’s support and supervision, started planning and designing its future plans in full security and peace.
The Zionists expanded their military activities while they had panic from sweeping revolution of the Arabs in 1936 C. England extended his covert supports for Jews. Twenty thousand Jews were ready to take up arms. "Haganah" began producing weapons and importing them secretly from Europe and stashing them in secret places. Concurrent with this action, the United Kingdom disarmed Arab citizens to prevent others rebellions!
On the other hand, the government of Great Britain assigned a committee headed by Lord Peel to investigate the current situation in Palestine. The committee announced its proposal of dividing Palestine into three parts in July 1937 C.:
1. coastal area with fertile lands should be for the Jews.
2. Internal part with East Jordan should be for the Arabs.
3. Administration State also establishes in Jerusalem and Bethlehem and Nazareth to monitor two aforementioned parts.
This proposal again raised the feelings of the Palestinians and other Arab and Muslim countries against the British government. They could not accept the establishment of a Jewish state in the heart of Islamic lands. Furthermore, this division deprived Arabs from cultivation of olive, legumes and citrus fruits in those areas and it cause surrendering the Mediterranean seaside towns to the Jews, and they had to emigrate from those areas.
An official report says: ... the general feeling among the people of this region (of the partition plan) was that they were victims of a treachery and they will be forced to abandon their lands soon and die in a corner of a desert.
So the Triad partition plan became a background for recurrent of struggles against the English and the starting point of it was the assassination of General Andrews, English governor of Galilee city, that was carried out by Farhan Saadi, vicar of Izz al-Din al-Qassam, on 26 September of 1937 C.
Immediately by special arrangements, Farhan Saadi was captured by English forces at the age of eighty and executed in the month of Ramadan while he was fasting. State of Great Britain answered the Arab’s opposition with violence and intransigence. Some Muslim villages were destroyed. Many liberals were arrested by order of military tribunals.
Hajj Amin al-Hosseini, committee’s chairman, escaped from the hands of the English forces and sat in the Haram al-Sharif and lead the revolution there. He finally fled to Lebanon.
In those days, the Haganah Zionist Organization had ten thousand armed militant and forty thousand supporting forces that cooperated with the British forces in the maintenance of railways and oil pipelines and defending the interests of Zionism.
In September 1937 C. a number of 411 representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine gathered in Bloudan of Syria and stressed on defending Palestinian lands and the abolition of the Balfour Declaration and Mandate, but a few days later, the number of one hundred participants that were mostly Syrians and Palestinians, by expressing dissatisfaction with the shallow decisions of Congress of Bloudan, went on to impose coercive methods against New England's policy based on the division of the Palestinian struggle during a secret meeting.
The second day of October, the Jerusalem in objection with Arab leaders went on a strike and the strike extended to other regions of the country, but the night of the fifteenth of October, the silence and peace was shattered and turned violent. Three buses of Jews were attacked on the outskirts of Jerusalem and Jewish areas were frequently exposed to shooting. Parts of the oil pipelines were destroyed and all oil was burned. Because of sabotage of railway lines a locomotive was derailed. English forces train was attacked in the southwest mountains of Jerusalem and a police patrol car was shooted near the Khalil. At this time curfew laws were implemented in the city of Jerusalem. The next day a group of Arab revolutionaries attacked Led airport facilities. During the attack customs trailers, passport and wireless of airport was completely consumed by fire....
From November government forces villagers faced with shooting in villages. Some of the villagers attacked government forces with stones, while the defense forces were responsible for shooting.
As can be seen, despite the repressive measures of the government, the scope and depth of the revolution and the revolutionaries organizational cohesion has been more and more effective than the uprising of 1936 C. administrative government in order to strengthen its military formally armed the Jews. Subsequently, the number of Jews by setting a clock bomb in Haifa killed 23 people and wounded 79 people, who were mostly the Arabs. Then other bombs exploded and this made the situation worse so that Arab attacked Jewish areas.
In the summer of 1938 C. the revolution reached to its peak. At the request of the Central Committee of jihad, a Supreme Council composed of the great leaders of the revolution was formed. Council ordered to stop repaying all government loans since the first day in September 1938 C. The Council also banned entry of collector loans and land dealers into the countryside and prohibited those who were commitment for building roads and police headquarters. The growth of the revolutionary forces led a large number of wealthy land speculators and pro-government figures to flee from the country. In the summer of 1938 C., people in the cities were forced to replace the normal caps with chafieh and headband so that police and military cannot recognize them from clandestine revolutionaries who came to town.
In such a sensitive situation that the revolutionary mood was playing role among crashing and violent and angry Palestinian people, and revolution was growing and thriving, the British government was powerless and helpless to control the revolution. Thus, in early 1939 C by use of a common policy named "the round table and negotiation” it tried to derail the Palestinian revolutionary movement, and take off the fire of revolution by giving new promises and making difference among the leaders.
Thus, British government invited Arab and Zionist representatives to participate in the London conference on February seventh.
In the meantime, the Zionist leaders were concerned that the government of Great Britain in the London talks, under the impact of the volatile situation in Palestine, has been ignored the interests of the Jews about the issue of immigration and land sales, and it has rethought to give concessions to the Arabs. Therefore, they suggested that America's representatives be invited to attend the talks in London as well!
The London talks which took place by authorities in Great Britain, separately with representatives of the Arabs and the Zionists, the British government spoke about ending the Mandate period and anticipated preparations the constitution of a Palestinian state under the British consideration. It faced all Arabs’ agreement, but Weizmann, the Zionist leader, who did not consider that time as a good end for the period of the mandate in favor of the Jews, and insisted that they would not be ready to appear as a minority in Palestine, strongly opposed to this idea and by pressure made the British government to withdraw from this affair.
by the failure of talks in London, the British government who pretended that his aim had been creating a consensus among the Arabs and the Jews, by publishing a statement called the White McDonald, categorically stated that the aim of this state is not turning Palestine to a Jewish state ... In this statement, the government of Great Britain besides the promise of establishment of an independent Palestinian state, tried a lot to convince the Arabs to accept their offer. The proposal was based on a point that in the next five years, the number of 75 thousand Jews enter Palestine, and since that time the Jews’ entry must be by the approval and permission of Arabs!
In any case, the White Book of 1939 C. was rejected by the Arab Higher Committee, and then some efforts were made to continue the revolution, but because of:
- The imbalance of power between the revolutionaries and enemies;
- Lack of facilities and lack of access to arms and ammunition;
- Many of the Revolutionary Commanders were killed and scattered;
- Poverty of the Palestinian people;
- Lack of support from Islamic countries;
- Silence and betrayal of Arab leaders;
- blamed and fatigue caused by long campaigns;
- The rebels’ headquarters was crushed in Damascus, on the eve of World War II by the French occupation forces,
And other factors of this kind. . Revolutionary Command’s binding demolished and thus, the major revolution of Palestine during the years 1936- 1939 C. which was offered thousands of victims and martyrs, began to lose its authority and integrity, and slowly began to wane.
But in the year 1939 C, while the Arab revolutionary fervor subsided, the Jewish community of Palestine was too fat and strong. Palestine had imported large amounts of weapons and ammunition caches from the outside which were hidden and stored in covert sluices. Jews had started military training of their youth widely and displayed their strength by widespread and frequent terrorist acts and attacks and bombings.
on the outside of Palestine, especially in Europe and America, by receiving generous support of states of England and the United States, Jews attracted public opinion in their own favor with great publicities.