Summary
A former law student and schoolteacher from Nablus who, in Banko’s account, advocated youth-led popular protests and civil disobedience (al-‘asīyan al-madaniyya) inspired by Gandhi, proposed a 1929 programme of non-cooperation including refusal to pay taxes, and in November 1935 addressed participants in the Nablus strike as ‘thanks to you, the citizens!’ (The Invention of Palestinian Citizenship, 1918–1947, PDF p.169 / printed p.158, PDF p.185 / printed p.174).
Details
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Zu’aytir wrote for Mir’at al-Sharq, and that and other periodicals promoted his non-cooperation programme; he was a member of the Independence Party (Istiqlal) (PDF p.169 / printed p.158, PDF p.175 / printed p.164).
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In the run-up to the 1936 general strike, ‘independent groups’ led by young men such as Zu’aytir declared several general strikes in urban centres after Parliament refused Wauchope’s legislative council plan (PDF p.185 / printed p.174).
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In Nablus in April 1936, Zu’aytir and others agreed the first serious political step was a campaign of civil disobedience by refusing to pay taxes (PDF p.187-188 / printed p.176-177).
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Banko, Chapter 7: Zu’aytir gave a statement to the Peel Commission in early 1937 arguing, with Darwazah, that the Arabs’ claims were based on centuries-long residence as Arab nationals and that citizenship status in Palestine was a natural right based on birth and descent in the territory (The Invention of Palestinian Citizenship, 1918–1947, PDF p.199 / printed p.188).
Related pages
The Invention of Palestinian Citizenship, 1918–1947, Independence Party, 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine