Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-31
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
by PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Moslem, Saladin. recaptured the city in
the battle of Hattin.
We think of the bloody Turk" and
the "virtuous Christian" but while the
Christian Crusaders massacred their
defeated foes, Saladin spared the Chris
tians and gave them safe escort out to
Tyre, which remained under Christian
rule.
From that date the city for $40 years
was in Moslem hands, except for
brief but bloody invasion of Tartars,
until, in December, 1917, Gen. Allenby.
with his British army, conquered 1t
from Turkey and then Lord Balfour
pledged that it should be restored to
the Jews" who had not held it for
nearly 1000 years. They had crossed
the Jordan and invested Jericho about
$500 years before they lost the capital.
in 10 AID. Yet the usual thought of
the world is that because the Jews had
held Palestine for 1900 years, though
peculiarly the Jewish homeland"
1t now contains about 10000 Jews.
including 1000 from America. but
Jerusalem has a population of 10000,
of whom IS per cent are Jews.
At the time of the World War. there
The migration Of Jews into Palestine
began about 1881, when the persecution
in Russia became intense, just after
the accession of Gear Alexander III
Prior to that migration of the Russian
refugees, the Jews who lived In Palestine
had gone there through sentiment, to
die there in the Holy Land. but now
the Russian exiles fled there to live
and work.
An English author living in Palestine,
Lawrence Oliphant hearing of the new
corners, became interested in their well
fare, and he enlisted the financial aid
and sympathy of Baron Edmond de
Rothschild, who has given vast sums
to support what is now known as
zionism. The movement has met favor
and enlisted organized help all over
the Western World until it has alarmed
the Moslem Arabs, who look upon
Palestine as their own Fatherland. They
outnumber the Jews more than 10 to /,
and the present Arab revolt is sure to
grow in seriousness as the days go by
in spite of the optimistic words of
diplomats.
The demands of the Arabs, as voiced
by their leader, indicate that the out
break is not sporadic nor lightly to be
CONSIDERED.
The Palestine Arab executive has an
nounced that it would present certain
demands to Sir John Chancellor, the
British high commissioner, as follows:
CD Establishment Of parliament III
Palestine.
CD The revocation of the Balfour
declaration pledging the British gov
eminent to facilitate establishment of
the Jewish National Home, in Palestine
80 Non-admission, of zionists into
Palestine.
X II X r
Any parliament in Palestine, with the
Moslems outnumbering the Jews, 10 to
/, would put all control into Moslem
hands. The revocation Of the Balfour
pledge now is beyond the exclusive
power of Great Britain, since that coun-
try holds a mandate from the League
of Nations, which is conditioned upon
carrying out that Balfour pledge to the
Jews. Only the League of Nations can
revoke the pledge and 1t dares not do 1t.
The demand that ZionistS be barred
from Palestine demonstrates the tenn
per and purpose of the present out
break; it means war to the. end, between
Arab supremacy and that of the Occi-
dent and the Jews. Will the Manda-
tory Power be firm?
(Copyrisht. 1929, by Paul v. Collns)