The Arabs of Ramleh gave us an amusing incident yesterday which reflects their attitude towards us. A large batch of Turkish prisoners were being marched through the village, but they were not preceded by their british Guard. The Arabs, thinking this was the return of the Turkish army, turned out in force, yelling with delight and flying the Turkish flag.
Middle East Diary Page 7
The words Syria and Syrian are foriegn terms. Unless he had learnt English or french, the inhabitant of these parts has no words to describe all his country...... "Sham" is Arabic for the town of Damascus, An allepine always calls himself an Alepine, A beyrouti always calls himself a Beyrouti, and so down to the smallest villages, this verbal poverty indicates a political condition. There is no national feeling.
Secret despatches, pp. 77-78
(P.S The word "Sham" as described in the English Dictionary:
noun, adjective, verb, shammed, shamming.
–noun 1. something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax.
2. a person who shams; shammer.
3. a cover or the like for giving a thing a different outward appearance: a pillow sham.
–adjective 4. pretended; counterfeit; feigned: sham attacks; a sham Gothic façade.
5. designed, made, or used as a sham.
–verb (used with object) 6. to produce an imitation of.
7. to assume the appearance of; pretend to have: to sham illness.
–verb (used without object) 8. to make a false show of something; pretend.
This word originates to the British & Arab history in the making of the "Shambolic Arab revolt)!!!!!!!!
The Emir Faisal I, Son of Hussien, Sherif of Mecca who initiated the Arab revolt (The Sham), briefly King of Syria (Syria nbeing given to him by the British) and later King of Iraq (Again given to him by the British) signed a treaty with Dr Chaim Weizmann in Feb 1919. In this treaty they outlined the relations between "The Arab states and Palestine" there was no mention of mutual recognition
As an Arab state was to arise as promised (by the British), it was equally promised (by the british) of a Palestine Jewish state.
Before signing the 1919 treaty Emir Faisal told Reuters agency:
"The Arabs are not jealuos of Zionist Jews and intend to give them fair play. and the Zionist jews have assured the nationalist Arabs on their intention to see that they too have fair play in their repective area."
London Times, December 12, 1918
What was the Zionist area, please someone tell me!
"The Arab State & Palestine in all their relations and undertakings shall be controlled by the most cordial goodwill and understanding and to this end Arab & Jewish duly accredited agents shall establish and maintain in the respective territories.
In the Establishment of the constitution & Administration of Palestine all such measures shall be adopted as will afford the fullest guarantees for carrying into effect the Bristish Governments (Balfour) decleration of 2nd November 1917. All necessary measures shall be undertaken to encourage and stimulate immigration of Jews into Palestine on a large scale and as quickly as possible to settle Jewish immigrants upon the land"
Signed as a bonding agreement to the Balfour treaty in Arabic by Emir Faisal.