THE GREAT REVOLT

THE GREAT REVOLT

LEADERSHIP

INSTITUTIONS

HISTORY

1930s: A CRITICAL PERIOD

• DRAMATIC GROWTH OF THE YISHUV

• THE GREAT REVOLT BY THE ARAB POPULATION TO END BRITISH RULE

• CONSOLIDATION OF LEADERSHIP ON BOTH SIDES

• ARAB DEFEAT AND JEWISH VICTORY SET THE STAGE FOR 1948

One standard argument

• COMPARES JEWISH AGENCY WITH THE ARAB HIGHER COMMITTEE

• BOTH PLAYED KEY INSTITUTIONAL ROLES

• SEEKS TO EXPLAIN THE YISHUV’S GREATER EFFECTIVENESS

• COMPARES SOCIO-ECONOMIC, DEMOGRAPHIC AND IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES

KEY POINTS

• YISHUV’S LEADERSHIP WAS “MODERN”:– IDEOLOGICAL, HIGHLY COORDINATED– URBAN AND REPRESENTATIVE– ACHIEVEMENT

• ARAB LEADERSHIP WAS “TRADITIONAL”:– FAMILIAL AND PERSONAL– URBAN BUT UNREPRESENTATIVE– ASCRIPTIVE

BUT…

• AL-HUSSEINI HAS NO JEWISH OPPOSITE NUMBER (I.E., BEN-GURION)

• JAE WAS NOT AS CRUCIAL AS THE HISTADRUT

• AL-HUSSEINI’S POLITICAL CAREER BEGINS IN 1921-2 NOT 1936

• AHC AND JAE WRONG COMPARISONS

AND

• PALESTINIAN ARAB SOCIETY WAS A SOCIETY

• IGNORES CONFLICT FOR POWER INSIDE EACH COMMUNITY

• THE YISHUV WAS AN IDEOLOGICAL PROJECT

• THE YISHUV DID HAVE MORE EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONS TO PREPARE FOR A CONFLICT OVER STATE-BUILIDNG

SUPREME MUSLIM COUNCIL

• WE KNOW LITTLE OF ITS ACTIVITIES• WITH THE DISINTEGRATION OF

SECULAR NATIONALISM, IT ASSUMED A LARGER ROLE

• HAD A SECURE FINANCIAL BASE• PROPOSED PALESTINE AS AN

ISLAMIC ISSUE• USED FUNDS AND SHARIA COURTS

TO BLOCK LAND PURCHASES

NATIONALIST ARAB PARTIESCOMPETING WITH HAJJ AMIN

• ISTIQLAL (INDEPENDENCE) PARTY– COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE– CLOSER TIES TO ARAB STATES

• NATIONAL DEFENSE PARTY– ORGANIZED AROUND NASHASHIBIs– ARGUED FOR MODERATION AND

COOPERATION WITH THE BRITISH

AND A PRO-HUSSEINI PARTY

• PALESTINE ARAB PARTY– FOUNDED IN MARCH 1935– SOUGHT TO CREATE A WIDER BASE FOR

HAJJ AMIN– CALLED FOR INDEPENDENCE AND

ABOLITION OF THE MANDATE

Shaykh Izz al-Din Al-Qassam

AND RELIGIOUS COMPETITION

• SHAYKH IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM • FORMED THE YOUNG MEN’S MUSLIM

ASSOCIATION• PALESTINIANS KNEW OF SIMILAR

ORGANIZATIONS IN EGYPT (MUSLIM BROTHERS)

• PREACHED DIRECT, ARMED ACTION AGAINST THE YISHUV AND THE MANDATORY AUTHORITIES.

Rhythms of violence

• TWO QUESTIONS:

• WHAT CAUSES VIOLENCE?

• WHAT IS THE POLITICAL CONTEXT OF VIOLENCE?

• POLITICAL LEADERS CAN PROVOKE, INSTENSIFY, OR RESTRICT VIOLENCE

• THEY CAN ALSO CHOOSE HOW TO PORTRAY IT

WHAT ABOUT 1929?

• PROXIMATE CAUSE WAS CONFLICT OVER PRAYING AT THE WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM

• JOCKEYING FOR INFLUENCE AND POLITICAL FREEDOM TO ACT

• AND RESTRICT THE OTHER SIDE

• AND TO EXTEND ONE’S OWN INFLUENCE IN ONE’S OWN SIDE

RESULTS OF 1929 CONFLICT

• INCREASED ESTRANGEMENT OF YISHUV AND ARAB SOCIETIES

• DESTRUCTION OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN HEBRON AND SAFAD

• REINFORCEMENT OF “SELF-RELIANCE” IN THE YISHUV

• SENSE OF DESPERATION IN ARAB SOCIETY

BRITISH POLITICAL RESPONSES

• SIR WALTER SHAW HEADS A COMMISSION THAT REPORTS IN MARCH 1930

• SIR JOHN HOPE-SIMPSON UNDERTAKES A MISSION AND REPORTS IN OCTOBER 1930 THAT JEWISH IMMIGRATION CAUSES VIOLENCE

• THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ISSUES THE PASSFIELD WHITE PAPER IN OCTOBER 1930 CALLING FOR AN END TO JEWISH IMMIGRATION

• PM RAMSAY MACDONALD REVERSES THE WHITE PAPER IN FEBRUARY 1931

EARLY 1930s

• DRAMATIC INCREASE IN JEWISH IMMIGRATION

• ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

• INTENSIFIED BY DROUGHT

• WIDESPREAD POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO IMPERIAL CONTROL IN SYRIA AND EGYPT

THE DEATH OF ‘IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSAM

• THE “CEMENT BARREL” INCIDENT

• AL-QASSAM’S DECISION TO LAUNCH ARMED STRUGGLE IN NOVEMBER 1935

• HIS DEATH IN LATE NOVEMBER

• “THE ARAB TEL HAI”?

1936 THAWRA

• APRIL 15, 1936 MURDER AND REPRISAL

• APRIL 17 RUMORS AND RIOTS

• APRIL 19 THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FORMED

• APRIL 21 THE GREAT REVOLT BEGINS

• APRIL 25 ARAB HIGHER COMMITTEE FORMED

DEMANDS

• END TO JEWISH IMMIGRATION

• END TO THE MANDATE

• FULL INDEPENDENCE

• MAJORITY RULE

INTERNAL CONFLICTS

• GENERATIONAL CONFLICT: SHABAB v. ESTABLISHED LEADERS

• CLASS CONFLICT: THE POOR AGAINST THE WEALTHY (AYAN)

• SOCIOLOGICAL CONFLICT: THE RURAL (FELLAHIN) AGAINST THE URBAN (EFFENDIYAH)

• Effendis Peasants

GAINING CONTROL

• HAJJ AMIN WORKED TO GAIN CONTROL OVER THE REVOLT WHILE NOT OVERLY ANTAGONIZING THE BRITISH

• BRITISH BRING IN TROOP REINFORCEMENTS

• HAGANA SHIFTS FROM PASSIVE TO AGGRESSIVE DEFENSE

THE FIRST PROPOSAL FOR PARTITION

• LORD WILLIAM ROBERT PEEL LEADS AN INVESTIGATION

• THE PEEL REPORT IS PUBLISHED JULY 7, 1937

• PROPOSAL TO PARTITION PALESTINE

• INCLUDES “TRANSFER”

• UNACCEPTABLE TO ARAB MAJORITY

RENEWAL OF THE REVOLT

• SECOND PHASE BEGINS IN THE SUMMER OF 1937

• LEADERSHIP IS UNCLEAR

• ATTACKS AGAINST BRITISH, YISHUV, AND INTERNECINE CONFLICT

• SCALE OF REVOLT GROWS

• SCALE OF REPRESSION GROWS

REPRESSION OF THE THAWRA

• LOSS OF LOCAL LEADERSHIP INCLUDING EXILE OF HAJJ AMIN

• INCREASE IN COERCIVE CAPACITY OF THE YISHUV

(IRGUN BET+HAGANAH+PALMACH)• DEGRADATION OF ARAB CAPACITY TO

RESIST• GROWING SENSE OF INTERCOMMUNAL

WAR

ANOTHER PARTITION PROPOSAL

• SIR JOHN WOODHEAD ARRIVES IN APRIL 1938 FOR A NEW COMMISSION OF INQUIRY

• ISSUES A REPORT PROPOSING A NEW PARTITION SCHEME

• ACCOMPANIED BY A WHITE PAPER DISMISSING IT