Chancellor, Sir John Herbert, High Commissioner. Minshar [“Proclamation” - Emergency Decree of the British High Commissioner concerning the 1929 Riots]

(ZIONISM)

Press of the Greek Monastery, September 1st

Jerusalem

1929

Hebrew. Seal of the British High Commissioner of Palestine

On August 23rd, 1929 an Arab mob attempted to attack the Jews in Jerusalem, following a ten-month build-up of tension over the disputed right of Jews to pray at the Western Wall. The outbreak of violence spread to other parts of the country and on the following day, the Arabs murdered some seventy Jews in Hebron. In the week of bloody violence that ensued, there were attacks in Tel Aviv, Haifa and 18 Jews were killed by an Arab mob in Safed. Before the week had passed, large detachments of British troops were brought in and many were arrested (both Jews and Arabs), before order was restored. In this Emergency Decree, the British High Commissioner for Palestine, Sir John Herbert Chancellor, recently returned from England, announces that those who perpetrated the violence will be severely punished. Furthermore, he states that before he left Palestine in June, he gave certain assurances to the Arab Commitee, however in view of the most recent events, these deliberations are now suspended. Despite Sir John’s final assurances, the subsequent Shaw Commission decided the cause of the riots had been Arab feelings of animosity consequent upon the frustration of their national aspirations and fear for their future. Thus the Commission proposed and subsequently enacted, restriction of Jewish migration to Palestine and restrictions on the purchase of land by Jews. See EJ, Vol.IX, cols. 343-4.