Appendices (part 3)

“As regards ourselves, we should be only too glad to see Palestine increasing in civilization and prosperity as an outpost in the neighbourhood of Egypt.... It is clear that if the question of the Near East should again be raised, the Jews will have to be considered by statesmen in any settlement of the Syrian question: and that the solution of the question ... may be ... a ‘legally assured home for the Jewish People.’”

LXXXVI.

Lord Gwydyr on Zionism and the Arabs

One of the most important factors the Zionists will have to reckon with in their further activity in Palestine is that of the Arabian population of the country. This population might consider the development of the Zionist movement undesirable: if the immigration of Jews into Palestine were to bring additional poverty into the land—if the Jewish element were restless, adventurous and inclined to disorder—if the country had or might have a homogeneous Arabic culture, and this new element were to disturb its uniformity through the introduction of its own cultural aspirations—or if that same element were threatening to oust the Arabs from their own position. But these and similar suppositions which might have led to the adoption of strong measures, or at least to a sentimental antipathy against immigration, are non-existent. The Jews bring no poverty into the land; nor is the immigrating population adventurous; Arabic culture does not already prevail in the country; and the Jews will not drive the Arab population from an established position.

The Jews who have been or are coming to Palestine have created considerable new economic values which are not only sufficient for their own maintenance but also contribute essentially towards the economic strengthening of the Arab element. Not only has the Government derived profit from the greater taxation returns of the Jewish colonies, but also from the enhanced taxability of the country, in consequence of the better methods of cultivation introduced by the Jews. The Arab population has also been considerably enriched, partly because the same masses which were formerly unemployed in large numbers found occupations and earnings with the Jews; partly through favourable sales of land, and also because they have learnt from the Jews how to obtain a greater yield from the soil.

Of course there can be no lack of competition in isolated cases, especially between Arab and Jewish traders, or Arab and Jewish artisans. But on the whole this competition can only bear upon individual cases. In general the new immigration can only maintain and support itself in the country if it creates new values, for the very simple reason that industrial conditions in Palestine are in a very low state of development, and that consequently the supplanting of those who hold established positions is practically impossible.

Therefore, from a comprehensive economic point of view, it is not only unnecessary to protect the native population against the immigration, but the latter should be encouraged in the interest of the country and its present inhabitants. The immigration brings about an increase of production as well as of consumption, and the greater part of the native population is thereby relieved from economic distress.

It is also possible that the native population, on having risen from its present state of depression to a higher level, may endeavour, in a measure, to better its economic position by settling down in neighbouring provinces. Colonization of the lands to the east of Palestine by Arabs would considerably reduce the Arab population of Palestine. Already, since the centre of gravity of the Arab race is not situated in Palestine, the area of friction arising from national-political motives is considerably reduced. The national-political relations of the Jews and their Arab fellow-citizens must be directed into the right channel from the very beginning. In this respect the Zionist programme is quite clear, simple and natural. The Jews wish to collaborate with the Arabs towards the elevation and strengthening of the country; but, in all they do, they want to appear as the Jewish nation, and always to show openly and freely their Jewish nationality. If it be a question of assimilation, Palestine is the only country in the world where the Jews, instead of being assimilated, are themselves the assimilating factor. It has, however, to be added that there can be no question of compulsory assimilation enforced by the Jews; they themselves have suffered too much from assimilation to wish to enforce it in any direction. But the Jewish culture will have an instructive and ennobling influence over others, through the force of example.

Lord Gwydyr wrote as follows on the question of the Turks and the Arabs in connection with the Jews:⁠—

“The difference between the Turkish and Arabic race is a curious subject of study and reflection. The Arabs, taken individually, are superior to the Turks. But in the struggle between nations the superiority of individuals is nothing: what gives ascendancy is the quality not of the individual but of the man: it is the spirit of ensemble, the aptitude to command or obey, which, after all, is the same thing. In this point of view the Arab is inferior to the Turk. Enthusiastic, witty, delicate, made for poesy and adventure, sober, inured to fatigue, as gay and as variable as the Turk is serious and grave, the Arabic race is still what we see it in history. But when, forgetting for a moment the brightness of their conquest, we closely examine, even in history, the character of the Arab race, what do we see? A race whose religious enthusiasm created an army rather than a nation, and incapable of founding an empire, as the Romans had done, it gave rise to I do not know how many empires and how short lived. What a chaos, and in this chaos what a rapid and tumultuous nation! Unity and duration were ever wanting in the governments created by the Arab race. These governments enjoyed the life of tropical plants, brilliant and brief, whilst the Turkish race has founded an empire, now expiring indeed, but which has lasted five hundred years or more. For an empire like the Turkish one, and in those countries, five hundred years’ duration is eternity. What is Palestine worth to the Arabs? Nothing. They did not appreciate its value, until the Jewish enterprise that forms a striking contrast with the dulness of the natives began to utilize this old garden of the human race, left desert and barren by the misfortunes of time. The Arabs will be useful when guided by an active and intelligent Jewish settlement.

“Racial rivalry is natural in every country, and is not to be disapproved so long as the aims are good, as, e.g. emulation in acquiring of knowledge in its multiple domains, such as agriculture, industry, etc.: but as soon as rivalry exceeds these bounds, it is to be deprecated. The legal power must resist with all its power this nefarious kind of rivalry, as nobody wishes to differentiate between the inhabitants in their liberties. All must be equal before the law, without the least distinction. But misunderstandings may always occur, and people with interested motives will try to make capital out of these misunderstandings. Everything depends on the goodwill and tact on both sides. Even the Bedawi may be won over to friendship more easily than he may be driven into subjection. And he is worth the winning over. Besides being a fighting man in his own style, he is, as history proves, quite capable of making valuable contributions to the welfare of the country, if he is properly treated. Experience shows that he responds more readily to appeal than to command, and is more easily led than driven. They must be given the blessings of a good administration and trained to take a gradually increasing share in the government of the country. Friendliness will replace inveterate mistrust: the inhabitants of the country will be bound together in close harmony by the ties of common interest. From a strictly Christian standpoint such a course is clearly the highest and wisest: while from that of the Moslems the old fears that closer intercourse with Christians might sap the religious earnestness of the followers of the Prophet are now generally seen to be groundless in the light of a longer and more intimate acquaintance. But there are reasons of a more practical nature than these ethical considerations. The position of Islam in the world’s political and religious geography supplies the followers of both faiths with a motive for common action that is yearly becoming better understood.... If it is true that a new spirit is stirring in the East of Asia, that the scientific knowledge by which in the past Europeans have held their own can no longer remain their monopoly and that the increase of the population in the Far East remains steady while that of Europe declines, then it is time for the Near East, when the inevitable struggle must take place, to put her house in order: and the first and most obvious requirement is that the tradition of misunderstandings between Christians and Moslems shall be replaced by a sympathy based upon community of interest.”

LXXXVII.

Consular Reports

The movement of progress and hope which has awakened to consciousness in Palestine was born in the colonies, where the land began to yield a ready harvest in return for the husbandman’s toil, where the vine and the fruit tree began to surround with natural beauty a land that had all too long lain desolate, and the old joys of country life have brought anew to the toilful workers a spirit of independence and dignity which have penetrated from the country into the towns. Again the Jewish race has developed some of the fine physique that generations of the Ghetto life had threatened to destroy for ever.

The British Consular Reports show signs of a steady development of Palestinian trade:⁠—

Year. Exports. Imports.

1885 £132,579 £287,740

1886 119,555 240,880

1887 186,371 232,045

1888 204,315 253,065

1889 244,561 275,622

1890 447,010 259,811

1891 410,530 288,290

1892 258,466 342,597

1893 332,628 349,540

1894 285,604 273,233

1895 282,907 275,990

1896 373,447 256,090

1897 309,389 306,630

1898 306,780 322,430

The increase of trade in 1890 and 1891 was due to the good harvest in oranges and sesame. In 1892, 1893, 1894, and 1897, all the wheat and the barley were exported via Gaza, and are therefore not included in the above table. The value of some of the goods exported and the growth of new industries is indicated in the following table, which shows the exports of wheat, maize, soap and oranges from 1885 to 1898:⁠—

Year. Wheat.
£ Maize.
£ Soap.
£ Oranges.
£

1885 3,600 7,875 13,722 26,500

1886 3,325 9,000 8,960 29,400

1887 15,000 21,000 38,000 36,000

1888 7,800 16,960 45,000 55,000

1889 16,950 18,200 33,600 51,200

1890 19,920 11,240 44,700 83,120

1891 3,300 17,300 124,000 108,400

1892 — 420 46,800 62,000

1893 — 2,580 112,000 96,500

1894 — 2,000 114,000 51,000

1895 3,560 3,200 93,240 65,000

1896 1,920 14,178 113,114 72,600

1897 — 8,450 81,900 75,800

1898 14,000 3,000 62,000 82,500

In the earlier reports some reference is made to the export of wine, but it is not worth special mention until 1894, from which date the following figures may be given:⁠—

Wine and Cognac.

1894 £3,000

1895 2,600

1896 4,032

1897 4,340

1898 20,500

Comparative tables of imports and exports at Jaffa according to countries during the four years 1909–1912.

Imports

Country. 1909.
£ 1910.
£ 1911.
£ 1912.
£

United Kingdom 321,348 128,730 146,000 155,000

British Colonies 4,629 3,105 49,000 54,000

Turkey 107,842 328,965 340,000 305,000

Austria-Hungary 92,244 83,840 114,000 126,000

Russia 96,038 97,000 108,000 110,000

Germany 87,308 68,615 74,000 80,000

France 64,773 103,000 112,000 84,000

Egypt 69,445 58,095 70,000 61,000

Belgium 39,635 49,185 60,000 54,000

Italy 25,232 24,940 16,000 5,000

United States 13,483 10,400 25,000 12,000

Roumania 10,565 — 22,000 17,000

Netherlands 10,555 10,141 8,000 7,000

Bulgaria — 11,950 15,000 8,000

Other Countries 9,848 24,485 10,910 12,000

973,143 1,002,450 1,169,910 1,090,000

Exports

Country. 1909.
£ 1910.
£ 1911.
£ 1912.
£

United Kingdom 158,090 173,085 185,000 190,000

British Colonies 77 698 9,000 10,500

Turkey 56,850 83,015 78,000 95,000

Austria-Hungary 19,630 12,103 21,000 24,500

Russia 18,370 29,589 33,000 45,000

Germany 7,325 8,384 17,000 21,000

France 15,080 22,255 46,000 50,000

Egypt 255,215 277,328 270,000 290,000

Belgium 1,863 1,101 15,000 12,000

Italy 10,337 15,332 12,000 6,000

United States 3,765 4,272 10,000 1,000

Roumania 1,375 — 2,000 2,500

Netherlands 418 1,192 1,000 2,000

Bulgaria — 5,221 6,000 4,500

Other Countries 12,630 2,575 5,660 10,162

506,935 636,145 710,660 774,162

Hindrances to the Prosperity of Palestine

(From the British Diplomatic and Consular Reports, No. 4850. Annual Series: Turkey. Report for the Year 1911. London, 1912):⁠—

“The principal causes which impede a rapid increase in the prosperity of Palestine are three, viz.:⁠—

“1. The lack of a harbour in Jaffa.—This is greatly needed. Owing to the fact that Jaffa is an open roadstead subject to sudden and dangerous storms—it should be noted that a British steamer was wrecked in February, 1911—much delay is experienced in loading and unloading steamers with consequent loss and inconvenience. Many tourists and pilgrims are also deterred from visiting the country owing to the uncertainty as to whether disembarkation will be possible.

“2. The tithe.—The levying of a tax of 12½ per cent. ad valorem on products of the soil has greatly impeded the extension of the orange plantations. Recently a petition has been submitted to the authorities by agriculturists asking that this tax may be replaced by a fixed tax of 30 pias. (5s.) per dunum (about ¼ acre) on land planted with orange and other fruit trees. If this change were made, there would be an immediate increase in the number of orange plantations, with consequent benefit both to the Government and to the population. There are thousands of acres of light soil in the vicinity of Jaffa, which, although not suited for cereals or sesame, are well fitted for the cultivation of oranges.

“3. The existence of large plots of undivided (musho’a) land belonging to several owners jointly who are, however, unable to determine their respective shares.—The natural result is that, there being no inducements to carry out improvements, the land is neglected. If measures were taken to effect the division of the land, the results would be beneficial both to the Government and to the owners.”

In addition to this statement, Mr. Vice-Consul P. Abela of Haifa reported (1911):⁠—

“There is a possibility of great agricultural enterprise in the fertile and extensive plains near Haifa, and arrangements have been made with some big proprietors to let the property for development. Were it not for the Turkish laws prohibiting foreign companies to hold land in Turkey, great progress might have been made in this direction.”

(From the Jaffa Report for 1912, No. 5107. Annual Series. June, 1913):—

“Public works.—The roads have not been touched, except for a few patchings in the town, and are in the worst state of repair imaginable.

“The harbour concession, owing to the difficulties arising from the confused political state of the capital, has not yet been obtained.... It is now nearly fifteen years that negotiations have been going on with regard to the project, and considering the enormous benefits that would accrue from its realization to every branch of the local trade, its perpetual postponement is deplorable. The present open roadstead is dangerous both for passengers and goods trade, and frequently prevents vessels from communicating at all. The resulting losses to the district are too obvious to be mentioned.

“The lack of public security.—The inhabitants of the Jewish colonies have to pay from £6 10s. annually per family in organising their own means of defence, and even then suffer from insecurity.

“The tithe.—This tax is levied on a system which has the disadvantages both of discouraging cultivation and being wasteful and comparatively unproductive. Its incidence on individuals is also in many cases unfair and crippling. The whole system is in need of radical revision.

“The backward state of public works.—The present roads are fit for nothing but camel traffic, and agriculturists have no satisfactory means of embarking their goods at Jaffa without great expense and loss through deterioration.”

LXXXVIII.

The following is an example of Moore’s Zionist songs:⁠—

ADVENT OF THE MILLENNIUM

But who shall see the glorious day,

When throned on Zion’s brow,

The Lord shall rend that veil away

Which blinds the nations now?

When earth no more beneath the fear

Of his rebuke shall lie;

When pain shall cease, and every tear

Be wiped from every eye?

Then, Judah, thou no more shalt mourn

Beneath the heathen’s chain;

Thy days of splendour shall return,

And all be new again.

The fount of life shall then be quaff’d,

In peace by all who come;

And every wind that blows shall waft

Some long-lost exile home.

Moore.

(See Volume I, page 12.)

LXXXIX.

Cremieux’s Circular to the Jews in Western Europe⁠¹

“Aux Juifs de l’Occident.

“... Pendant mon séjour en Egypte, dans le cours de cette belle mission qui portait vers nos frères de l’Orient les sympathies si ardentes de leurs frères de l’Occident, j’étais vivement ému de l’aspect de la malheureux population qui s’offrait à mes yeux. Foules aux pieds depuis tant de siècles, les débris de la nation juive, autrefois nation puissante dans ces contrées même, ont perdu l’energie qui seule donné à l’homme quelque ressort en lui rappelant qu’il est l’œuvre de Dieu. La source qui vivifie toutes les facultés de notre intelligence, l’instruction n’est pas même connue du nom dans cette Alexandria, si brillante, il y a quelques siècles, par les lumières des juges et des docteurs israelites....

“De l’Orient est sortie la religion qui nous unit tous d’une chaîne à la fois si étroite et si noble.... Du Caire et d’Alexandria le feu sacre se répandra bientôt vers Dames et Jérusalem. L’Orient va se ranimer....”

¹ Archives Israelites de France, vol. ii., 1841, p. 185.

(See Volume I, p. 180.)

XC.

THE BANNER OF THE JEWS

(By Emma Lazarus)

Wake, Israel, Wake! Recall to-day

The Glorious Maccabean rage,

The sire heroic, hoary-gray,

His five-fold lion-lineage,

The wise, the elect, the Help-of-God,

The burst of Spring, the Avenging Rod.

From Murpeh’s mountain ridge they saw

Jerusalem’s empty streets: her shrine

Laid waste where Greeks profaned the law

With idol and with pagan sign.

Mourners in tattered black were there

With ashes sprinkled on their hair.

Then from the stony peak there rang

A blast to ope the graves: down poured

The Maccabean clan, who sang

Their battle anthem to the Lord.

Five heroes lead, and following, see

Ten thousand rush to victory!

Oh for Jerusalem’s trumpet now,

To blow a blast of shattering power,

To wake the sleepers high and low,

And rouse them to the urgent hour!

No hand for vengeance, but to save,

A million naked swords should wave.

Oh, deem not dead that martial fire,

Say not the mystic flame is spent!

With Moses’ law and David’s lyre,

Your ancient strength remains unbent.

Let such an era rise anew,

To lift the “Banner of the Jew!”

(See Volume I, p. 243.)

XCI.

“The Advanced Guard”

Programme of the Committee appointed to found a colony to be called Rishon Le’Zion (1882).

“A. The acquisition of land.—The Committee will select according to its judgment, a suitable site for the colony, will purchase the same from the owners of the ground and execute a deed of purchase, in the name of the President and two members of the Committee. If some charitable association make a grant of money towards the purchase of the land, in that case the Committee will be in a position to buy it in the name of such association. If it be bestowed as a gift the deed of purchase will be in accordance with its regulation and that of this Committee.

“B. The acquisition of houses.—The Committee have prepared plans respecting houses and stalls for herds and flocks, the purchase of bricks, wood and all the requisites of a dwelling-house. It will appoint inspectors over the work-people and a surveillance will be exercised by the officers of the colony or those of the Committee.

“C. The obtaining of cattle and implements.—The Committee will choose experienced men either from the members of the Committee or from the colony to hand over to them money for the purchase of cattle and proper implements of ploughing adapted to each family. These will be bestowed on them according to priority.

“D. The wants of the congregation.—The Committee will provide money for the erection of a synagogue, a Talmud Torah school, a hospital, bath and washhouses, also for the erection of a small trading mart to be managed in accordance with the regulations laid down by the officers of the colony for the necessary transactions.”