Tuesday, October 20, 2015

How the British Fought Arab Terror in Jenin during the Mandate 1920-1948 - Draiman


How the British Fought Arab Terror in Jenin during the Mandate 1920-1948

The world falsely accused Israel of atrocities in Jenin, but how would the British have handled the situation if they were in control of the land of "Palestine" today instead of Israel?   The following article may give you an idea of what their response would be.
YashaNet Staff
Dr. Rafael Medoff, April 21, 2002
"Demolishing the homes of Arab civilians…" "Shooting handcuffed prisoners…" "Forcing local Arabs to test areas where mines may have been planted…" These sound like the sort of false accusations made by British and other European officials concerning Israel’s recent actions in Jenin. In fact, they are descriptions from official British documents concerning the methods used by the British authorities to combat Palestinian Arab terrorism in Jenin and elsewhere in 1938.

The documents were declassified by London in 1989. They provide details of the British Mandatory government’s response to the assassination of a British district commissioner by a Palestinian Arab terrorist in Jenin in the summer of 1938. Even after the suspected assassin was captured (and then shot dead while allegedly trying to escape), the British authorities decided that "a large portion of the town should be blown up" as punishment. On August 25 of that year, a British convoy brought 4,200 kilos of explosives to Jenin for that purpose. In the Jenin operation and on other occasions, local Arabs were forced to drive "mine-sweeping taxis" ahead of British vehicles in areas where Palestinian Arab terrorists were believed to have planted mines, in order "to reduce [British] land mine casualties." The British authorities frequently used these and similar methods to combat Palestinian Arab terrorism in the late 1930s. British forces responded to the presence of terrorists in the Arab village of Miar, north of Haifa, by blowing up house after house in October 1938. "When the troops left, there was little else remaining of the once busy village except a pile of mangled masonry," the New York Times reported.

The declassified documents refer to an incident in Jaffa in which a handcuffed prisoner was shot by the British police.  Under Emergency Regulation 19b, the British Mandate government could demolish any house located in a village where terrorists resided, even if that particular house had no direct connection to terrorist activity. Mandate official Hugh Foot later recalled "When we thought that a village was harboring rebels, we’d go there and mark one of the large houses. Then, if an incident was traced to that village, we’d blow up the house we’d marked." The High Commissioner for Palestine, Harold Mac Michael, defended the practice "The provision is drastic, but the situation has demanded drastic powers."

Mac Michael was furious over what he called the "grossly exaggerated accusations" that England’s critics were circulating concerning British anti-terror tactics in Palestine. Arab allegations that British soldiers gouged out the eyes of Arab prisoners were quoted prominently in the Nazi German press and elsewhere.

The declassified documents also record discussions among officials of the Colonial Office concerning the anti-terror methods used in Palestine. Lord Dufferin remarked "British lives are being lost and I don’t think that we, from the security of Whitehall, can protest squeamishly about measures taken by the men in the frontline." Sir John Shuckburgh defended the tactics on the grounds that the British were confronted "not with a chivalrous opponent playing the game according to the rules, but with gangsters and murderers."

There were many differences between British policy in the 1930s and Israeli policy today, but two stands out. The first is that the British, faced with a level of Palestinian Arab terrorism considerably less lethal than that which Israel faces today, nevertheless utilized anti-terror methods considerably harsher than those used by Israeli forces. The second is that when the situation became unbearable, the British could go home; the Israelis, by contrast, have no other place to go.


Dr. Medoff is Visiting Scholar in the Jewish Studies Program at SUNY

2 comments:

  1. After years of Arab deception, to believe peace is possible is a delusion, and another mistake.
    The Arabs have a state, which is Jordan. Jordan illegally occupied and confiscated about 80% of the land allocated to Jews under international law and treaties of post WWI. The Arabs also have over 75,000 square miles of land (which is 6 times the size of Israel) which the Arab countries illegally confiscated from the million expelled Jewish families.

    It is time to take another approach. Forego all peace talks until the Arabs can prove they can control their population and live with the Jews in peaceful coexistence for at least 5 years. Furthermore, Arabs must eliminate the education of its people to commit terror and violence; replacing it with education and practice of living in harmony and coexistence. Nothing less will be accepted. It is not negotiable.

    The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is Jewish territory and has been since prior to the building of the two Jewish temples. It is a historical fact that King David of Israel paid the Jebusites money to purchase that property, in order to avoid conflict. Israel, after liberating Jerusalem and Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism in 1967, Israel graciously permitted the Arabs to continue to pray at Temple Mount.

    The time has come to terminate said arrangement. Jewish worshippers have suffered years of abuse by Muslim Arabs committing unwarranted acts of violence on a consistent basis. Israel has the right, duty and obligation to revoke the unappreciated privilege formally granted. It is the Arab Muslims who are defiling The Jewish "Holy of Holies".

    It is time for Israel to take back Jewish its sacred ground, which is the holiest site in Judaism, once and for all.

    I am sure Arab-Muslims would not permit anyone in the world to build and control the holy Muslim Site in Mecca. Let the Arab-Muslims have Mecca, and the Judeo-Christian people have Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

    My mother-in-law was sent to the gas chamber in Auschwitz three times. Somehow she crawled out between the legs of others and survived while losing most of her family in the Nazi extermination camps. I proudly say and practice, NEVER AGAIN. Enough is enough. Ghetto mentality of capitulation is over.

    I will not and cannot cower to Arab terrorism, violence, intimidation, and threats, etc. Furthermore, I am confident no self respecting Israeli is willing to cower to terrorism and violence. To prevent such a scenario, Israel must go on an unrelenting offense to claim and take back what belongs to Israel and its people. World opinion be damned.

    The time for negotiation and compromise is over.
    YJ Draiman

    Now, Israel needs to arrest the convicted terrorist and murderer Mahmoud Abbas aka Abu Mazen the corrupt leader of the Arab PA. He is responsible for the Munich massacre and the Achille Lauro hijacking and murder of a wheelchair bound Jewish passenger.
    YJ Draiman

    ReplyDelete
  2. After years of Arab deception, to believe peace is possible is a delusion, and another mistake.
    The Arabs have a state, which is Jordan. Jordan illegally occupied and confiscated about 80% of the land allocated to Jews under international law and treaties of post WWI. The Arabs also have over 75,000 square miles of land (which is 6 times the size of Israel) which the Arab countries illegally confiscated from the million expelled Jewish families.

    It is time to take another approach. Forego all peace talks until the Arabs can prove they can control their population and live with the Jews in peaceful coexistence for at least 5 years. Furthermore, Arabs must eliminate the education of its people to commit terror and violence; replacing it with education and practice of living in harmony and coexistence. Nothing less will be accepted. It is not negotiable.

    The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is Jewish territory and has been since prior to the building of the two Jewish temples. It is a historical fact that King David of Israel paid the Jebusites money to purchase that property, in order to avoid conflict. Israel, after liberating Jerusalem and Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism in 1967, Israel graciously permitted the Arabs to continue to pray at Temple Mount.

    The time has come to terminate said arrangement. Jewish worshippers have suffered years of abuse by Muslim Arabs committing unwarranted acts of violence on a consistent basis. Israel has the right, duty and obligation to revoke the unappreciated privilege formally granted. It is the Arab Muslims who are defiling The Jewish "Holy of Holies".

    It is time for Israel to take back Jewish its sacred ground, which is the holiest site in Judaism, once and for all.

    I am sure Arab-Muslims would not permit anyone in the world to build and control the holy Muslim Site in Mecca. Let the Arab-Muslims have Mecca, and the Judeo-Christian people have Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

    My mother-in-law was sent to the gas chamber in Auschwitz three times. Somehow she crawled out between the legs of others and survived while losing most of her family in the Nazi extermination camps. I proudly say and practice, NEVER AGAIN. Enough is enough. Ghetto mentality of capitulation is over.

    I will not and cannot cower to Arab terrorism, violence, intimidation, and threats, etc. Furthermore, I am confident no self respecting Israeli is willing to cower to terrorism and violence. To prevent such a scenario, Israel must go on an unrelenting offense to claim and take back what belongs to Israel and its people. World opinion be damned.

    The time for negotiation and compromise is over.
    YJ Draiman

    Now, Israel needs to arrest the convicted terrorist and murderer Mahmoud Abbas aka Abu Mazen the corrupt leader of the Arab PA. He is responsible for the Munich massacre and the Achille Lauro hijacking and murder of a wheelchair bound Jewish passenger.
    YJ Draiman

    ReplyDelete