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'File 15/18 FOREIGN AND POLITICAL DEPARTMENT CIRCULARS RECEIVED FROM THE GOVT OF INDIA.' [5v] (16/370)
The record is made up of 1 file (185 folios). It was created in 19 Nov 1928-2 Nov 1944. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
2
custom of praying there extends back to the Middle Ages and possibly further.
The Wall is also part of the Haram-al-Sharif ; as such, it is holy to Moslems.
Moreover, it is legally the absolute property of the Moslem community, and the
strip of pavement tacing it is Waqf property, as is shown by documents preserved
by the guardian of the Waqf. The Jewish community have established an un
doubted right of access to the pavement for the purposes of their devotions but,
whenever protests were made by the Moslem authorities, the Turkish authorities
repeatedly ruled they would not permit such departures from the existing
practice as the bringing of chairs and benches to the pavement. It is understood
that a ruling prohibiting the bringing of screens to the pavement was given in
1912.
The Palestine Government and His Majesty's Government, having in mind
the terms of Article 13 of the Mandate for Palestine, have taken the view that the
matter is one in which they are bound to maintain the status quo, which they
have regarded as being, in general terms, that the Jewish community have a
right of access to the pavement for the purposes of their devotions, but may
bring to the W all only those appurtenances of worship which were permitted
under the Turkish regime. Whenever the Moslem authorities have preferred
complaints that innovations have been made in the established practice, and the
Palestine Government on enquiry have satisfied themselves that the complaints
were well founded, they have felt it their duty to insist that the departures from
practice which gave rise to the complaints should be discontinued.
An incident which occurred in September, 1925, when the authorities in
Palestine had to remove seats and benches brought to the Wall, formed' one of
the subjects of a memorandum addressed by the President of the Zionist Orga
nisation through His Majesty's Government to the League of Nations in May,
1926. The conclusion of both the Permanent Mandates Commission and the Coun
cil of the League was that a solution of the difficulties could only be found by agree
ment, thus endorsing the comment of His Majesty's Government on the memoran
dum which was that the dispute could not be settled except by common consent.
The Palestine Government, though prepared, if approached by both parties, to
act as intermediaries, felt that the matter was one which could best be settled
by consent between the communities concerned. Neither party, in fact, %
approached the Palestine Government and that Government is not aware of any
negotiations having been initiated between the parties.
From the official communique issued by the Palestine Government it will
be seen—and, so far as His Majesty's Government are aware, the fact is not
contested—that on the Jewish Day of Atonement in September last innovations
were made in the existing practice. Complaints about these innovations were
made to an officer of the Palestine Government by the Mutawali of the Waqf
in which the pavement is vested, and, when on investigation he found that those
complaints were substantiated, he was confronted with a choice between ignoring
the Mandatory obligation of His Government to preserve the status quo and the
removal of an appurtenance of Jewish worship. Having decided that the Man
datory obligation could not be disregarded, he obtained from the Jewish officials
present at the Wall an undertaking that the screen which had been introduced
in contravention of established practice would be removed before the service on
the Day of Atonement. Unfortunately, this undertaking w T as not fulfilled ; and
accordingly there was no alternative, bearing in mind the obligation to preserve
the status quo, to the removal of the screen when, on the following morninc:,
worshippers present at the Wall themselves declined to remove it. Though
some of the congregation endeavoured to prevent it, the removal was in fact
effected without casualties of any but a light nature. The Police who undertook
this duty did not include any Jews ; at one time it was the practice to post a
Jewish police inspector near the Wailing Wall on Jewish holy days but, at the
urgent request of the Chief Rabbinate, all Jewish police 'officers had been .
excused dutv on the Day of Atonement. In future, steps will be taken to ensure *
that a Jewish officer is present at the Wall on all such occasions.
It has been urged that the Palestine Government should have exercised
greater judgment and, in particular, should have consulted representative
Jewish authorities before action was taken. His Majesty's Government feel
that the delicacy of the question of procedure at the Wall and the nelM for
extreme discretion with regard to anything that might be regarded by watchful
About this item
- Content
The file contains Government of India circular letters, memoranda and notices issued mainly by the Foreign and Political Department. These were sent to the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire who forwarded them to the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain and others. The circulars contain instructions, information and guidance on a wide range of topics. Most circulars are about the staffing and financing of departments and offices of the Government of India. Topics addressed include the following:
- The grant of an exemption to British consular and political officers stationed in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , from payment of rent for their accommodation, 1929;
- Revised regulations regarding the wearing of foreign orders, decorations and medals by both Government of India officers and British subjects, 1930;
- An instruction to review local expenditure and actively reduce costs as part of a drive for retrenchment of expenditure by all departments and offices of the Government of India, 1930;
- Notice of a new declaration to be made to Persian Customs by foreign travellers and pilgrims entering Persia, about the amount of foreign money in their possession, under a new Persian Foreign Exchange Law, 1931.
There are also several circulars in the file that communicate official British foreign policy in other parts of the world during periods of disturbance, so that British officials elsewhere would be able to counteract any inaccurate reports in circulation. Included are circulars about British occupied Palestine in 1928-1929, as follows:
- Printed circular memoranda from the Colonial Office, London, 1928, entitled ‘The Western or Wailing Wall in Jerusalem’, ‘Disturbances in Palestine’ and ‘Arming of Jews’;
- Circular telegram from the British High Commissioner, Jerusalem, 1929, about the reaction of the Arab population in Jerusalem to his instructions temporarily regulating religious observance at the wailing or western wall , pending a British Government enquiry into the existing rights of Muslims and Jews.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (185 folios)
- Arrangement
File papers are arranged chronologically. They are followed by file notes (folios 184-188), which include a chronological list of documents in the file dated 1938 onwards (folios 109-182), together with their unique document reference numbers to help identify them. The list also records the folio number and a simple reference number from 37 to 65 that has been written on many documents, usually the circulation slips, in red or blue crayon and encircled, to help locate them in the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation is written in pencil in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. It begins on the second folio, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 189. Some of the parts of the file have been paginated, which means that there are a number of folio numbers missing from the sequence. Foliation omissions: f 7, f 11, f 13, f 15, ff 76-77, ff 166-169. Foliation errors: f 3 is followed by f 3A, f 123 is followed by ff 123A-C. Folio 94 is folded.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'File 15/18 FOREIGN AND POLITICAL DEPARTMENT CIRCULARS RECEIVED FROM THE GOVT OF INDIA.' [5v] (16/370), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1461, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023731157.0x000011> [accessed 30 April 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/1461
- Title
- 'File 15/18 FOREIGN AND POLITICAL DEPARTMENT CIRCULARS RECEIVED FROM THE GOVT OF INDIA.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:3v, 3ar:3av, 4r:6v, 8r:10v, 12r:12v, 14r:14v, 16r:75v, 78r:118v, 120v:123v, 123ar:123cv, 124r:132v, 133v:165v, 170r:188v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence