Summary
A popular Palestinian leader, respected by rural and urban Arabs, whose testimony to the Peel Commission in 1937 Banko presents as unique in tracing Arab nationality from Ottoman times through to the creation of citizenship in Palestine (The Invention of Palestinian Citizenship, 1918–1947, PDF p.199-200 / printed p.188-189).
Details
- Al-Saleh commented directly on specific cases in which the administration denied citizenship to native-born Palestinian Arabs, and linked citizenship in Palestine to British colonial policies, placing Palestine in a larger narrative of British imperialism, including colonial settlement and colonial economies (PDF p.199 / printed p.188).
- He stressed that prejudice against the emigrants, rendered without nationality, was ‘quite apparent’ and indeed ‘forbidden by international law’ (PDF p.199 / printed p.188).
- On citizenship rights, he stated the mandate text did not distinguish ‘civil rights’ from ‘religious rights’; civil rights were instead under the umbrella of religious rights, so citizenship came to be governed by religious communities (PDF p.200 / printed p.189).
Related pages
The Invention of Palestinian Citizenship, 1918–1947, Peel Commission, Palestinian Arab diaspora