Summary
The Jerusalem notable whose 1899 letter to Theodor Herzl warned that Jewish sovereignty over Palestine could only be achieved by force against local resistance — and whose plea Herzl answered only with the economic benefits Zionism would bring, in Zachary Lockman’s central illustration that early Zionist attitudes to the Arabs were a way of grasping reality rather than ignorance (Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948, lines 464-468).
Details
- Al-Khalidi (1842–1906) was a prominent Jerusalem notable who had served as the city’s mayor and as a member of the Ottoman parliament of 1876–78, and held various posts in the local Ottoman administration (lines 464-466; Chapter 1 note 12 cites Alexander Schölch, Palestine in Transformation, 1856–1882, ch. 9, for his career).
- His letter reached Herzl in 1899 through the chief rabbi of France. He expressed sympathy for the professed aim of Zionism, the relief of Jewish suffering, but insisted that large-scale Jewish settlement in, and ultimately Jewish sovereignty over, Palestine could only be achieved by force and violence in the face of strong resistance by the local population, and implored the Zionists to find some other territory (lines 464-466).
- Herzl’s reply focused on the wealth Jewish immigration would bring Arab landowners through rising land prices: “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.” For Herzl, Lockman notes, Palestine was the “historic homeland” only of the Jews, and the Arabs were to be content with prosperity as individuals, denied national rights (lines 466-468).
Related pages
Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948, Theodor Herzl