The Truth about Palestinians Origin

Part 3

Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952)

Scientist and president of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), and first President of the State of Israel.

Chaim Weitzman went to Germany to study at the Polytechnic at Darmstadt. Shortly afterwards he moved to the institute of technology in Berlin. It was there that the Zionist dream began to take on a more realistic meaning, for it was just at that time that Theodore Herzl’s book “The Jewish state” was published.

A visit to Moscow helped Weitzman better understand the difficult circumstances of the Jews. A frequent attendee at Zionist Congresses, he was not optimistic about Herzl’s idea of political and diplomatic efforts for the establishment of Israel as a Jewish State in a single stroke. Instead he sided with those who called for gradual settlement in the land.

In 1906 Weizman met with Arthur Balfour, the Prime Minister of Britain, at a meeting in which he successfully explained the attachment the Jews had for the biblical land of Israel, talks which had a tremendous effect on the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Weizmann’s greater moments were during World War I. As a chemist, he helped the British war effort, and was instrumental in giving the Allies victory over Germany by refining explosives. As a fervent Zionist, he was busy on the diplomatic front, trying to bring the cause of a Jewish state closer to British politicians and journalists. Weitzman’s efforts culminated in the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917. For his effort in helping Briton during the war Winston Churchill asked Weizmann what he would want for compensation. Weizmann told Churchill, “He wanted nothing for himself but wanted to see a homeland for the Jews.” It was determined at the San Remos conference that the Jews were the most persecuted people in the history of humanity and would now have a home after 2000 years of not having a home.

In June 1918, he traveled to Aqaba to enlist the support of Emir Feisal – leader of Arab Nationalism – for Jewish development work in Palestine. In 1948 Weitzman was to become the first President of Israel.

1922 – Churchill White Paper

Policy Paper redefining British interpretation of responsibilities to a Jewish National Home 1922. The paper stated that government did not wish to see Palestine become "as Jewish as England is English", but rather the establishment of "a center in which Jewish people as a whole may take, on grounds of religion and race, an interest and a pride."

The White Paper confirmed the right of Jewish immigration but stipulated that this should not exceed the economic absorptive capacity of the country. The policy document recommended the establishment of a Legislative Council comprised of twelve elected and ten official members. Despite the association of Churchill’s name with the White Paper, its decisive influence came from the High Commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel.

T E Lawrence Popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence became famous for his exploits as British Military liaison to the Arab Revolt during the First World War. He masterminded a series of Guerilla strikes against the Ottomans and used the Arabs knowledge of the terrain and their bravery to a devastating effect. He managed to coordinate the Arabs into supporting General Edmond Allenby’s drive through Palestine and managed to enter Damascus ahead of the advancing British units.

The Arabs that were Lawrence went to Winston Churchill secretary for colonial affairs told Churchill; T.E. Lawrence told them they would be rewarded for fighting the Germans. As their reward Churchill gave them 80% of Trans Jordan. By the summer of 1922 Churchill, with considerable aid from Lawrence, had achieved a settlement of the situation. The British High Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon had entered into correspondence with the Serif of Mecca; the Hashemite King Hussein. This correspondence seemed to promise the Arabs their own state stretching from Damascus to the Arabian peninsular in return for fighting the Ottomans.

Briton previously gave this land to the Jews for a homeland as reward for the work Dr. Chaim Weizmann did, in helping the British defeat the Germans. The Jews said, OK we will let them have 80% if Emir Feisal will guarantee in written form that this is all the land the Arabs will take. The Hashemite tribe was the custodians of the holy places of Mecca and Median, and the Saudis hated the Hashemite’s and drove them out of Saudi Arabia so they were given Trans Jordan.

Emir Feisal told the Hashemites they can have what is on the west side of Jordan, as we Arabs have the deepest sympathy for what the Jews have been though. Chaim Weizmann accepts the written agreement from Emir Feisal, but, the agreement was not carried out, mostly due to the change in Allied policy regarding the Arab State which Feisal had planned to establish.

1947 – United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP)

Established in April 1947, following a British referral of the Palestine question to the United Nations. The eleven member investigatory committee could not reach agreement on a solution to the Palestine question and instead published majority and minority reports. The majority scheme recommended the partitioning of Palestine into two states; one Jewish and the other Arab. It also recommended that Jerusalem become an international city.

It was this report that was placed before the General Assembly on the 29th November 1947 and was adopted as resolution 181. The UN Resolution is mentioned in Israel’s Declaration of Independence as recognizing the right of the Jewish People to establish a state. Thirty-three countries supported the plan, thirteen opposed and ten abstained. In a rather unusual moment of history, the United States and the Soviet Union supported the resolution whilst Britain abstained, promising only to evacuate her troops by August 1948. In the event the British departed three months earlier on May 14. 1948

Mohammad Amin al

Was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From 1921 to 1948, he was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and played a key role in opposition to Zionism.

As early as 1920, he was active in both opposing the British in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab State and opposing Jewish immigration and the establishment of their National home in Palestine. His oppositional role peaked during the 1936 – 1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. In 1937, wanted by the British, he fled Palestine and took refuge successively in Lebanon, Iraq, Italy and finally Nazi Germany where he met Adolf Hitler in 1941 and came up with the final solution for Hitler to deal with the Jews .

He asked Germany to oppose, as part of the Arab struggle for independence, the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. During the 1948 Palestine War he represented the Arab Higher Committee and opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and King Abdullah’s ambitions for expanding Jordan by capturing Palestinian territory.

After the 1948 Palestine War and Palestinian exodus, his claims to leadership were devastated and, quickly sidelined successively by the Arab Nationalist Movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization, he lost most of his remaining political influence. Al-Husayni died in Beirut, Lebanon in 1974. He is Uncle to Yassar Afafat PLO leader.