Jerusalem is a very small part of the area in question. The figure I have for 1882, as good a date as any for the start of Zionist-inspired immigration, is 25,000 Jews and roughly 4-500,000 Arabs.
The figures I have for the Ottoman census of 1893 (which always undercount non-muslims, as Ottoman censuses always did, since one of their purposes was to tax non-muslims) estimate about 60,000 Jews to about 300,000 muslims. The figures are always difficult to deal with precisely, because the Turks were not good census-takers to begin with, and the borders of the late Ottoman vilayets bear no relationship to the later boundaries of the Mandate of Palestine or Israel.
When a group of colonists tried to seize sovereignty, this population fought against them.
No, as Zionism developed the land, there were several factions among the Paletinian elite about what response to make. One prominent faction, led by the Nashishibis, wanted to compromise and work out an arrangement. Another prominent faction, led by the Husseinis and supported by the British, who gave one of them the position of Mufti of Jerusalem, wanted no compromise and the destruction of the Zionists. During the 20s and the 30s, the second faction won out by assassinating the members of the first faction, with the upshot that the Arab population was controlled by almost one-man rule by the time of the Arab revolt.
The majority of the local population expressed little political opinion, except by voting with their feet - they moved in next to the Jews in great numbers in order to get jobs. This mass of these neighboring people had generally friendly relations with the Zionists.
I will no more accept the claim that the Nazi Mufti spoke for the aspirations of all the local Arabs than I will accept the claim that Yasser Arafat does so today. Neither are legitimate rulers imo. |
