Palestinian general strike
Encyclopedia
The Palestinian general strike lasted from April–October 1936 in the British Mandate of Palestine and was part of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine.
The dissent was influenced by the Qassamite rebellion following the killing of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
in 1935 as well as the declaration by Hajj Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
of 16 May 1930 as 'Palestine Day' and calling for a General Strike on this day, following the 1929 Buraq (Western Wall) Uprising
.
The strike began in Nablus and soon other committees in Haifa, Jenin, Tulkarm and Jerusalem were formed to join the protest. The demands of the strike were Independence for Jerusalem and a stop to removals of workers from the land..
While the strike was initially organised by workers and local committees, soon religious leaders and families were involved to help coordination. This led to the formation on 25 April 1936 of the Arab Higher Committee
or HAC.
The response of the British to the strike was to impose heavy fines on villages and cities. The city-port of Jaffa was especially singled out. Under the guise of urban renewal
the British ordered the demolition of hundreds of homes in the city and more than a thousand in neighbouring villages. The British also authorised the Zionist Movement to build a port in neighboring Tel Aviv
, in proclaimed competition with the strike-bound Port of Jaffa.
In July, the authorities imposed martial law
and fresh troops were brought in from England
. Special Night Squads
of Zionist and British soldiers were formed to attack villages. It is believed that the British authorities dynamited 5000 houses and executed 148 prisoners in Acre Prison
alone.
Solidarity campaign committees were formed in Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo and Beirut. In Syria a promise of self-government from the French was made after a 50 day strike. In Egypt anti-British demonstrations in November 1935 brought about the resumption of negotiations between the two countries for a treaty of independence.
The strike was eventually called off in November 1936, by the HAC, under the influence of Britain. King Ghazi of Iraq, King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia and Amir Abdullah of Transjordan appealed on the workers to end the strike because as they wrote in Palestinian newspapers, "We rely on the good intentions of our friend Great Britain, who has declared that she will do justice."
The dissent was influenced by the Qassamite rebellion following the killing of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Sheikh Muhammad Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Tijani Sufi who led militant activities against British, French, and Zionist organizations in the Levant in the 1920's and 1930's.-Early life:...
in 1935 as well as the declaration by Hajj Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Haj Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From as early as 1920, in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state he actively opposed Zionism, and was implicated as a leader of a violent riot...
of 16 May 1930 as 'Palestine Day' and calling for a General Strike on this day, following the 1929 Buraq (Western Wall) Uprising
1929 Palestine riots
The 1929 Palestine riots, also known as the Western Wall Uprising, the 1929 Massacres, , or the Buraq Uprising , refers to a series of demonstrations and riots in late August 1929 when a long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated into violence...
.
The strike began in Nablus and soon other committees in Haifa, Jenin, Tulkarm and Jerusalem were formed to join the protest. The demands of the strike were Independence for Jerusalem and a stop to removals of workers from the land..
While the strike was initially organised by workers and local committees, soon religious leaders and families were involved to help coordination. This led to the formation on 25 April 1936 of the Arab Higher Committee
Arab Higher Committee
The Arab Higher Committee was the central political organ of the Arab community of Mandate Palestine. It was established on 25 April 1936, on the initiative of Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and comprised the leaders of Palestinian Arab clans under the mufti's...
or HAC.
The response of the British to the strike was to impose heavy fines on villages and cities. The city-port of Jaffa was especially singled out. Under the guise of urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
the British ordered the demolition of hundreds of homes in the city and more than a thousand in neighbouring villages. The British also authorised the Zionist Movement to build a port in neighboring Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, in proclaimed competition with the strike-bound Port of Jaffa.
In July, the authorities imposed martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
and fresh troops were brought in from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Special Night Squads
Special Night Squads
The Special Night Squads were a joint British-Jewish counter-insurgency unit, established by Captain Orde Wingate in Palestine in 1938, during the 1936-1939 Arab revolt. The SNS comprised British infantry soldiers and Jewish Supernumerary Police...
of Zionist and British soldiers were formed to attack villages. It is believed that the British authorities dynamited 5000 houses and executed 148 prisoners in Acre Prison
Acre Prison
In the time of the British Mandate the citadel in the old city of Acre was used as a prison in which many Arabs were imprisoned as criminals or for participating in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine...
alone.
Solidarity campaign committees were formed in Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo and Beirut. In Syria a promise of self-government from the French was made after a 50 day strike. In Egypt anti-British demonstrations in November 1935 brought about the resumption of negotiations between the two countries for a treaty of independence.
The strike was eventually called off in November 1936, by the HAC, under the influence of Britain. King Ghazi of Iraq, King Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia and Amir Abdullah of Transjordan appealed on the workers to end the strike because as they wrote in Palestinian newspapers, "We rely on the good intentions of our friend Great Britain, who has declared that she will do justice."