Yousef al-Khalidi

Yusuf Dia Pasha al-Khalidi (1842–1906; , ) was a prominent Ottoman politician who served as mayor of Jerusalem during several non-consecutive terms in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Al Khalidi served as mayor of Jerusalem from the years 1870 to 1876, 1878 to 1879, and 1899 to 1906.

He was a Palestinian elected member of the first Ottoman parliament, and he represented Jerusalem. He was also a governor, translator, professor and prolific writer. As an Ottoman patriot and an active participant in the reform of the system following Egyptian withdrawal from Syria, Khalidi was proud of his Jerusalem heritage, and was a relentless reformer of the Ottoman system from within, rather than a precursor of Arab, or Syrian independence from the Ottomans. He continuously refers to his homeland (watani) as Jerusalem, and his country (biladuna) as the Ottoman Empire.

Early life and education
Al-Khalidi was born in Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire in 1842. His father, al-Sayyid Muhammad Ali al-Khalidi, served as deputy qadi and chief of the Jerusalem Sharia court secretariat in Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire for about fifty years. Members of the Khalidi family, one of the two politically prominent, old families of the local nobility (the other being the al-Husayni family), continuously held the office through the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the Husayni family was larger and wealthier, the Khalidis were more united and noted for their intellect.

As a teenager, al-Khalidi may have been influenced by the Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856. At the age of 17, he wrote of his thoughts about the state of the world, personal dignity and the individual's quest to become free, in the context of meditations on why the Ottoman Empire was being increasingly surrounded by European powers pilfering the region of its wealth and identified the cause of the situation to be the disparity in knowledge between the region and Europe.  The interests of the country could only be defended by dropping frivolous studies and acquiring scientific, historical and philosophical knowledge.

Yousef's initial requests to receive an education in Egypt was turned down because he lacked an invitation from that country and his father rebuffed his proposal that he be educated in Europe. Afterward he and his cousin Husayn left Jerusalem without the family's permission and reached Malta where they were enrolled into the Protestant college through the mediation of the Anglican bishop Gobat of Jerusalem. There, he studied English and French. Yousef's brother Yasin persuaded him after two years in the Protestant college to attend the Imperial Medical School in Constantinople, capital of the Empire. Yousef was dissatisfied with his time at the medical school after a year, finding no "salvation, he enrolled in an American Protestant missionary school outside of the capital, Robert College." He remained there for a year and a half before returning to Jerusalem because of the death of his father.

Later in life he taught Semitic languages in the Oriental Academy of Vienna, where he also wrote the first Kurdish-Arabic dictionary.

Career

Al Khalidi served as mayor of Jerusalem from the years 1870 to 1876, 1878 to 1879, and 1899 to 1906.

Al-Khalidi played a key role in the opposing political factions established to prohibit the Ottoman Empire's attempts to violate the constitution. Al-Khalidi was very familiar with Zionist thought, and the anti-Semitic environment in Europe out of which it emerged. He also perceived the danger Zionism could expose Jews to throughout the domains of the Ottoman Empire. 

Compelled by a "holy duty of conscience" to voice his concerns that Zionism would jeopardize the friendly associations between Muslims, Christians and Jews, he wrote a letter On 1 March 1899 to Zadok Kahn, the chief rabbi of France, to prevail on Zionists, through Kahn's offices, to leave the area of Palestine in peace."Je me flatte de penser que je n'ai pas besoin de parler de mes sentiments envers Votre peuple. En ce qui concerne les Israélites [...], je les considère vraiment comme parents de nous autres, Arabes ; pour nous ils sont des cousins ; nous avons vraiment le même père, Abraham, dont nous descendons également. Il existe beaucoup d'affinités entre les deux races, nous avons presque la même langue. Politiquement, d'ailleurs, je suis convaincu que les Juifs et les Arabes feront bien de se soutenir pour pouvoir résister aux envahisseurs des autres races. Ce sont ces sentiments qui me mettent à l'aise pour Vous parler franchement de la grande question qui agite actuellement votre peuple. 

 Vous Vous doutez bien que je veux parler du Zionisme. L'idée en elle-même n'est que toute naturelle, belle et juste. Qui peut contester les droits des Juifs sur la Palestine ? Mon Dieu, historiquement c'est bien Votre pays ! Et quel spectacle merveilleux ça serait si les Juifs, si doués, étaient de nouveau reconstitués en une nation indépendante, respectée, heureuse, pouvant rendre à la pauvre humanité des services dans le domaine moral comme autrefois !

Malheureusement, les destinées des nations ne sont point gouvernées seulement par ces conceptions abstraites, si pures, si nobles qu'elles puissent être. Il faut compter avec la réalité, avec les faits acquis, avec la force, oui avec la force brutale des circonstances. Or la réalité est que la Palestine fait maintenant partie intégrale de l'Empire ottoman et, ce qui est plus grave, elle est habitée par d'autres que des Israélites. Cette réalité, ces faits acquis, cette force brutale des circonstances ne laissent au Zionisme, géographiquement, aucun espoir de réalisation [...]. Les Juifs possèdent certainement des capitaux et de l'intelligence. Mais si grande que soit la force de l'argent dans ce monde, on ne peut acheter tout à coups de millions. Pour arriver à un but comme celui que le Zionisme doit se proposer, il faut d'autres coups, plus formidables, ceux des canons et des cuirassés. Or, quelle est la Puissance qui pourrait bien mettre ces choses-là à la disposition du Dr Herzl ? Est-ce la Russie ? Ou peut-être son alliée la France ? Croyez-vous que l'empereur Guillaume trouvera que cela vaut quelques os des soldats poméraniens ? Et même les nations les mieux disposées envers les Juifs, comme les Anglais et les Américains, je ne crois pas qu'elles consentent jamais de partir en guerre contre les autres nations pour aider les Juifs à s'installer en Palestine"

English translation:

"I flatter myself to think that I need not speak of my feelings towards Your people. As far as the Israelites are concerned [...], I really do regard them as relatives of us Arabs; for us they are cousins; we really do have the same father, Abraham, from whom we are also descended. There are a lot of affinities between the two races; we have almost the same language. Politically, moreover, I am convinced that the Jews and Arabs will do well to support each other if they are to resist the invaders of other races. It is these sentiments that put me at ease to speak frankly to You about the great question that is currently agitating your people.

You are well aware that I am talking about Zionism. The idea in itself is only natural, beautiful and just. Who can dispute the rights of the Jews to Palestine? My God, historically it is Your country! And what a marvellous spectacle it would be if the Jews, so gifted, were once again reconstituted as an independent nation, respected, happy, able to render services to poor humanity in the moral domain as in the past!

Unfortunately, the destinies of nations are not governed solely by these abstract conceptions, however pure, however noble they may be. be. We must reckon with reality, with established facts, with force, yes with the brutal force of circumstances. But the reality is that Palestine is now an integral part of the Ottoman Empire and, what is more serious, it is inhabited by people other than only Israelites. This reality, these acquired facts, this brutal force of circumstances leave Zionism, geographically, no hope of realisation [...]. Jews certainly possess capital and intelligence. But however great the power of money in this world, one cannot buy millions all at once. To achieve a goal like the one that Zionism must propose, other, more formidable blows are needed, those of cannons and battleships. Gold, ? Is it Russia  ? Or perhaps its ally France  ? Do you think Emperor William will find it worth a few bones from the Pomeranian soldiers? And even the nations best disposed towards the Jews, like the English and the Americans, I do not believe that they will ever agree to go to war against other nations to help the Jews settle in Palestine."

According to Rashid Khalidi, Alexander Scholch and Dominique Perrin, Khalidi was prescient in predicting that, regardless of Jewish historic rights, given the geopolitical context, Zionism could stir an awakening of Arab nationalism uniting Christians and Muslims. 

Kahn showed the letter to Theodor Herzl, the founder of political Zionism. On 19 March 1899 Herzl replied to al-Khalidi  arguing that both the Ottoman Empire and the non-Jewish population of Palestine would benefit from Jewish immigration. As to al-Khalidi concerns about the non-Jewish majority population of Palestine, Herzl replied rhetorically: "who would think of sending them away?" and concluded ambiguously that "If he (the Ottoman Sultan) will not accept it, we will search and, believe me, we will find elsewhere what we need."Letter  from Dr. Theodore Herz  to M. Youssuf Zia Al-Khalidi, Mayor of Jerusalem

19 March 1899

Excellency,

I owe to Mr. Zadok Kahn’s  kindness the pleasure of having read the letter which you addressed to him. Let me tell you first of all that the feelings of friendship which you express for the Jewish people inspire in me the deepest appreciation. The Jews have been, are, and will be the best friends of Turkey since the day when Sultan Selim  opened his Empire to the persecuted Jews of Spain.

And this friendship consists not only of words-it is ready to be transferred into acts and to aid the Moslems.

The Zionist idea, of which I am the humble servant, has no hostile tendency toward the Ottoman Government, but quite to the contrary this movement is concerned with opening up new resources for the Ottoman Empire. In allowing immigration to a number of Jews bringing their intelligence, their financial acumen and their means of enterprise to the country, no one can doubt that the well-being of the entire country would be the happy result. It is necessary to understand this, and make it known to everybody.

As Your Excellency said very well in your letter to the Grand Rabbi, the Jews have no belligerent Power behind them, neither are they themselves of a warlike nature. They are a completely peaceful element, and very content if they are -left in peace. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing to fear from their immigration.

The question of the Holy Places?

But no one thinks of ever touching those. As I have said and written many times: These places have lost forever the faculty of belonging exclusively to one faith, to one race or to one people. The Holy Places are and will remain holy for all the world, for the Moslems as for the Christians as for the Jews. The universal peace which all men of good will ardently hope for will have its symbol in a brotherly union in the Holy Places.

You see another difficulty, Excellency, in the existence of the non-Jewish population in Palestine. But who would think of sending them away? It is their well-being, their individual wealth which we will increase by bringing in our own. Do you think that an Arab who owns land or a house in Palestine worth three or four thousand francs will be very angry to see the price of his land rise in a short time, to see it rise five and ten times in value perhaps in a few months? Moreover, that will necessarily happen with the arrival of the Jews. That is what the indigenous population must realize, that they will gain excellent brothers as the Sultan will gain faithful and good subjects who will make this province flourish-this province which is their historic homeland.

When one looks at the situation in this light, which is the true one, one must be the friend of Zionism when one is the friend of Turkey.

I hope, Excellency, that these few explanations will suffice to give you a little more sympathy for our movement.

You tell Mr. Zadok Kahn that the Jews would do better to go somewhere else. That may well happen the day we realize that Turkey does not understand the enormous advantages which our movement offers it. We have explained our aim publicly, sincerely and loyally. I have had submitted to His Majesty the Sultan some general propositions, and I am pleased to believe that the extreme clearness of his mind will make him accept in principle the idea of which one can afterwards discuss the details of execution. If he will not accept it, we will search and, believe me, we will find elsewhere what we need.

But then Turkey will have lost its last chance to regulate its finances and to recover its economic vigour.

It is a sincere friend of the Turks who tells you these things today. Remember that!

And accept, Excellency, the assurance of my very high consideration.

(signed) Dr. Theodore HERZL

Scholar Rashid Khalidi notes that this sentiment was penned 4 years after Herzl had confided to his diary the idea of spiriting the Arab population away to make way for Jews:
We must expropriate gently the private property on the estates assigned to us. We shall try  to spirit the penniless population across the border by procuring employment for it in the transit countries, while denying it employment in our own country The property owners will come over to our side. Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discreetly and circumspectly.'

Death
Al-Khalidi died on 25 January 1906.

Notes

Citations

Sources

External links 
 A Family’s History by Tarif Khalidi October 2020 at khalidilibrary.org 
 AL-KHALIDI, YUSSEF DIYA'UDDIN (PASHA) (1829-1907) at passia.org Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs PASSIA
 Khalidi takes on "hegemonic narrative" of Jewish nationalism in personal new book by Steve France at Mondoweiss February 17, 2020
 Temple Denial by Benny Morris at The Daily Beast Apr. 24, 2012 

1829 births
1907 deaths
19th-century Arab people
Arab people from Ottoman Palestine
Khalidi family
Mayors of Jerusalem
Zionism in the Arab world