Katie Gordon, Adam Carl, and Christian Nguyen

Prompt 4: Immigration and land purchase were the main causes of tension between the Arabs and Jews in Palestine in the inter-war years. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Introduction The inter-war years (1919-1938) saw noticeable shifts in relations between the Arab and Jewish populations in the Palestinian mandate. Tension (expressed the form of riots, etc.) was characteristic of these relations. Immigration of both Arabs and Jews to the mandate as well as land purchase were large factors that contributed and oftentimes caused this tension. In this outline, the theoretical implications of immigration and land purchase, as well as the relative significance of both immigration and land purchase in major examples of Arab-Jewish tension during the interwar period will be assessed in the face of other factors that may have contributed.

Thesis Immigration and land purchases, to a large extent, were the main sources of tension between the Arabs and the Jews during the interwar period; however, religion and British politics exacerbated the already dire situation.

Theory: Why would immigration and land purchase contribute to intra-state tensions? - immigration  greater competition for jobs  tension between rival populations and anger on the part of those who already occupy the territory - immigration of Jews represents consummation of Balfour promise of National Home  inflames Arab nationality  increase in tension (Bickerton and Klausner 45) - land purchase on part of Jewish National Fund (JNF)  some Arabs lost lands that had been in families for generations (as many land-purchasing transactions were done between the JNF and landlords that were negligent of the inhabitants living within the sold territory  Arab hostility (B&K 48)

Case Studies: Major Points of Tension - Tension in 1920 and Jaffa Riots (1921) o 1920 – Palestian Arabs attacked Tel Chai and other Jewish settlements in the Galilee region; anti-Jewish riots broke out in Jerusalem o 1921 – Jaffa Riots – 47 Jews killed, 140 wounded; 48 Arabs killed and “scores” more wounded o Causes: . According the Haycraft Commission that investigated these tensions: events precipitated by Arab fear of the economic threat Jewish immigrants posed and the “perceived political influence of the Jews on the mandatory government” (48)  Jewish immigration (believed to be the primary cause for these tensions) was temporarily suspended by the British Government . In accordance with the views of the Haycraft Commission, the beginning of the 1920s saw a dramatic increase in Jewish immigrants to Palestine due to the reopening of the Land Registry (that had been suspended because of WWI) (this wave is also known of the 3rd Aliyah). This increase in the Palestinian correlates with the increase in tensions during this time (and thereby supports the argument that immigration and land purchases were the primary causes of Arab-Jewish tensions) . During this time, “it is abundantly clear that the more land the Jews purchased and the more Jews who arrived, the more chance that Arabs would one day find themselves in the minority” (B&K 47) . Possible political causes outside immigration and land purchases: initial trigger of the Jaffa riots was factionalism between the Jewish community in Palestine over celebration of May Day (unauthorized parading) . However, due to the fact that Arabs were not a part of this intial cause, their motives in involving themselves at all were more influenced by concerns over immigration and land purchase 1. Wailing Wall Events (Western Wall Disturbances of 1928-1929) a. The British Constable removed a collapsible screen from the Western Wall at the request of the Arab population that was separating the Jewish women praying from the Jewish men. The conflict started when the British tried to form an agreement between Jews and Arabs, which ultimately broke down and led to violence. b. Land Ownership Tensions i. The “sheikhs…connected the screen to the Zionist program and the Balfour Declaration and feared that in the new climate, treating the wall as a synagogue was but a first step in expropriating it from the Muslims,” according to Tom Segev in One Palestine Complete. ii. “The Waqf’s leaders had once explained to Ronald Storrs why they refused to let the Jews install chairs at the wall on a permanent basis…” They believed that first the screen would become permanent, then simple benches, then walls, and then a roof. This new “Jewish temple” would form step by step from the screen. iii. Actions made by the British government also gave concern to the Arab population. 1. Prior to this conflict, the Zionists pressured the British government to “use the country’s Hebrew name Eretz Israel, or ‘the land of Israel,’” once against according to Tom Segev. 2. To reinforce the threatened feeling of the Arabs, the Encyclopaedia Britannica included the Zionist flag as the Palestinian flag. This was later fixed in the next edition, however the damage was done. c. Immigration Issues i. The Zionist movement realized that “a central, national shrine… would energize the Zionist movement and strengthen its position vis-à-vis the ultra-Orthodox and world Jewry…” They also recognized that the Western Wall could serve as this catalyst. ii. Frederick Kisch, head of the Jewish Agency in Palestine, British Judge Gad Frumkin, and New York millionaire Nathan Strauss was involved in a Jewish plan to “’secure the goodwill’ of the owners of the houses adjacent to the wall,” which would effectively give the organization control and legitimacy of a claim to the Wall. d. Religious Tensions i. Both problems listed above were the cause of the direct intention of both Muslim Arabs and Jews to control a religious holy place. The problems above can simply be considered symptoms of this greater and overarching problem between the two religions. ii. This can be overlooked, however, because “under the Turks, the Hews were allowed to pray by the wall more or less undisturbed.” The fact that the Jewish visitors and the Muslim population were living peacefully together for a period of time means that there was a change in the area that created violence. Between these two periods, the Zionist movement became popular and an influx of Arabs to the region created the tensions. e. British Politics i. The Shaw Commission of 1930 1. This Commission found that the Palestinian feeling of helplessness was leading to violence. This helplessness was due to the Arab perception that the Zionist organizations and the Balfour Declaration were influencing the British more than they were. 2. The Commission recommended that immigration should be limited. ii. The Hope-Simpson Commission 1. This Commission found that the primary cause of the disturbances was the “economic absorptive capacity,” by the use of Winston Churchill’s phrase. 2. The study found that 30% of Palestinians were landless, and the Commission suspected that this was due to the Jewish National Fund’s purchases. 3. The study also found that the land purchased by the Jewish population was uncultivated and was further lowering the capacity. 4. The solution they proposed was stopping all immigration so that the land could be used to support the amount of people already there. - - Arab Revolt  Followers of al-Qassam -a martyr for the anti-British, anti-Jewish immigration movement- protested the doubling of Jewish population in Palestine since 1931 o Killed two Jews in April 1936, with violence and striking lasting until October  The British Peel Commission attempted to partition the mandate to solve the tension o Jewish Agency supported it, but wanted Arabs completely removed from the future Jewish state o The Arab Higher Committee rejected the idea, and the northern Palestinians (those whose land would become the Jewish state) launched a second stage of the revolt, from 1937-1939, which had more intense battles fought by local Arab militias against the British and Jews o 5,000 Arabs killed and 20,000 wounded by the start of WWII Causes  Palestinian Arabs despised Zionist immigration and land purchases o 1939 White Paper claims that the immigration issue is present, because the land sales to the Jews hurts the economic standing of the Arabs o In 1931, Arab population was 82% of Palestine while Jewish population was 16%; By 1936, Arab population had fallen to 71% and Jews had gone up to 28% (Cleveland) . Arabs felt they were losing power  While Arabs were on strike, employers hired Jewish immigrants to work for cheap, further enraging Arab rioters Solution (Attempts)  1938 Woodhead Commission o British held a meeting in London in early 1939 with both Zionist and Palestinian leaders, in an attempt to find compromise . Unsurprisingly, no compromise was found, so the British worked on their own  1939 White Paper o Palestinian had become a “national home” for the Jews, as there were approximately 450,000 Jews living there o Palestine was not a “Jewish State,” however; within 10 years the mandate would become independent and hold its own elections/ constitution o Jewish immigration for next five years will be limited to 10,000 per year (with a one-time exception of 25,000 due to issues in Europe) . After those five years, Jewish immigration must be approved by Arab majority o AHC denies this proposition Works Cited

Bickerton, Ian J, and Carla L Klausner. A Concise History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Cleveland, William L. A History of the Modern Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004.

Sejev, Tom. One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate. New York: Henry Holt, 2000.