The Origins of the "Palestinian" Arabs by Daniel Pipes No "Palestinian Arab people" existed at the start of 1920, but, by December, it took shape in a form recognizably similar to today's.Until the late nineteenth century, residents living in the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean identified themselves primarily in terms of religion: Moslems felt far stronger bonds with remote co-religionists than with nearby Christians and Jews. Living in that area did not imply any sense of common political purpose. Then came the ideology of nationalism from Europe; its ideal of a government that embodies the spirit of its people was alien but appealing to Middle Easterners. How to apply this ideal, though? Who constitutes a nation and where must the boundaries be? These questions stimulated huge debates. Some said the residents of the Levant are a nation; others said Eastern Arabic speakers; or all Arabic speakers; or all Moslems. But no one suggested "Palestinians," and for good reason. Palestine, then a secular way of saying Eretz Yisra'el or Terra Sancta, embodied a purely Jewish and Christian concept, one utterly foreign to Moslems, even repugnant to them. This distaste was confirmed in April 1920, when the British occupying force carved out a "Palestine." Moslems reacted very suspiciously, rightly seeing this designation as a victory for Zionism. Less accurately, they worried about it signaling a revival in the Crusader impulse. No prominent Moslem voices endorsed the delineation of Palestine in 1920; all protested it. Instead, Moslems west of the Jordan directed their allegiance to Damascus, where the great-great-uncle of Jordan's King Abdullah II was then ruling; they identified themselves as Southern Syrians. Interestingly, no one advocated this affiliation more emphatically than a young man named Amin Husseini. In July 1920, however, the French overthrew this Hashemite king, in the process killing the notion of a Southern Syria. Isolated by the events of April and July, the Moslems of Israel made the best of a bad situation. One prominent Jerusalemite commented, just days following the fall of the Hashemite kingdom: "after the recent events in Damascus, we have to effect a complete change in our plans here. Southern Syria no longer exists. We must defend Palestine." Following this advice, the leadership in December 1920 adopted the goal of establishing an independent Palestinian state. Within a few years, this effort was led by Husseini. Other identities--Syrian, Arab, and Moslem--continued to compete for decades afterward with the "Palestinian" one, but the latter has by now mostly swept the others aside and reigns nearly supreme. *The writer is director of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum.*

The Attack at Tel Chai In 1919, the border between Eretz-Israel and Syria was the subject of a dispute between the British and French authorities. The four Jewish settlements of Metullah, Hamrah, Tel Chai, and Kfar Giladi were situated in this area. The British agreed that this northern section of the upper Galilee would be under French jurisdiction. However, Arab groups loyal to Feisal [the leader of the Arab movement] in Syria, who was himself sympathetic to the British, attacked the settlements. [Meaning, once the Arabs succeeded in negotiating the transfer of these settlements to the Syrian mandate, they attacked the Jews that lived there in order to drive them off the Land.] An evacuation of Metullah and Hamrah had already been completed but the Jewish forces led by Joseph Trumpeldor attempted to hold their ground at Tel Chai. Despite the arrival of some reinforcements, the settlement was overrun and Trumpeldor and seven of his comrades were killed. When the town of Kiryat Shmonah was created shortly after the establishment of the State, it took its name from the eight fighters who had lost their lives in the defense of Tel Chai during this period.

The 1920-21 Riots The racial strife was begun by the Arabs, and rapidly developed into a conflict of great violence between Arabs and Jews, in which the Arab majority, who were generally the aggressors, inflicted most of the casualties. The outbreak was not premeditated or expected, nor was either side prepared for it; but the state of popular feeling made a conflict likely to occur on any provocation by any Jews. ...When the disturbance had once begun an already acute anti-Jewish feeling extended it into an anti-Jewish riot. A large part of the Moslem and Christian communities condoned it, although they did not encourage violence. While certain of the educated Arabs appear to have incited the mob, the notables on both sides, whatever their feelings may have been, aided the authorities to allay the trouble. The police were, with few exceptions, half-trained and inefficient, in many cases indifferent, and in some cases leaders or participators in violence. ...The raids on five Jewish agricultural colonies arose from the excitement produced in the minds of the Arabs by reports of Arabs being killed by Jews in Jaffa. In two cases unfounded stories of provocation were believed and acted upon without any effort being made to verify them.

The 1929 Riots After a series of disturbances in 1920-1921, the Yishuv [the settlements in pre-State Israel] continued to develop in relative peace and security. The Yishuv's main concern at that time was its financial difficulties; the economic crisis of 1926-1928 led many to believe that the Zionist enterprise would fail due to lack of funds. Zionist leaders attempted to rectify the situation by expanding the Jewish Agency to incorporate non-Zionists who were willing to contribute to the practical settlement of Israel. The prospects for renewed financial support for the Yishuv alarmed Arab leaders who feared economic domination by the Zionists. Led by the Mufti hajj amin al-husseini, rumors of a Jewish plot to seize control of the holy places began to spread. Violence erupted soon after, causing extensive damage. Rioting and looting were rampant throughout Israel. First in Jerusalem, the disturbances spread to Hebron and Tzfat, including many settlements in between. At the end of the rioting, 133 Jews were killed, with more than 300 wounded. Though fully aware of the situation, the British government took no steps to gain control of the situation. Afterwards, the British appointed Sir William Shaw to head an inquiry into the causes of the riots. [The Shaw Commission would later report (in March 1930) that the violence occurred due to "racial animosity on the part of the Arabs, consequent upon the disappointment of their political and national aspirations and fear for their economic future." It would say that the Arabs thought Israel would be theirs, and that the British had been vague in their promises to the Arabs and the Jews. The commission recommended that the British government clearly define its intentions in Israel, saying Jewish immigration to Israel should be more carefully considered, in order to avoid "a repetition of the excessive immigration of 1925 and 1926." Immigration was then halted until the Hope-Simpson Report was later issued (in October 1930), which recommended the cessation of Jewish immigration. At the same time the Passfield White Paper was issued, and it stated that the development of a Jewish National Home in Israel was not considered central to the mandate. As a result, Jewish immigration and Land purchase was limited to a much greater degree. In short, the Arabs gained the support of Britain by rebelling and killing the Jews.]

The 1936 Riots Violence again erupted in Israel in April, 1936. In that month, six prominent Arab leaders overcame their rivalries and joined forces to protest Zionist advances in Israel. The Arab high command, as the group was known, was led by the Mufti hajj amin al-husseini, and represented Arab interests in Israel until 1948. The Arab high command began their protest by calling for a general strike of Arab workers and a boycott of Jewish products. These actions swiftly escalated into terrorist attacks against the Jews and the British. This first stage of the "Arab revolt" lasted until November, 1936. The second stage began in September, 1937, shortly after the Peel Commission recommended the partition of Israel. In this second phase, clashes with the British forces became much more severe, as did the attacks on Jewish settlements. In an effort to quiet the revolt, the British sanctioned the arming of the Hagana. The two groups cooperated until, in 1939, the disturbances came to an end. The ending of the disturbances was largely due to Orde Wingate, an officer in the British army. Wingate, pro-Zionist and a Christian, organized Special Night Squads of Jewish volunteers to combat the attackers. Once the rebellion was supressed, the Yishuv entered a period of relative peace with the Arabs of Israel. It was only the UN announcement of partition which would bring on additional hostilities and tensions.