'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎19r] (42/294)

11th - 19th Augus t
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On the 12 th August a section of mechanised 3.7-in. hov/itzers of the
Chestnut Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, reached Nablus from Cairo to
relieve two naval howitzers which had been sent there from H.M. S. " Suss ex"
on the 3rd August for action against snipers in the rocky hillsides over
looking the camp.
The period was marked by an increase in the murderous outrages,
though there were no major engagements with the armed bands. On the
12 th a small party of the York and Lancaster Regiment were surprised and
overwhelmed by a large band of Arabs v/hile bathing in a pool near Beisan.
A Lance-Corporal maiming a Lewis Gun was killed, the gun captured and
three Privates wounded. The whole thing was over in a moment before the
remaining half dozen bathers could reach their rifles. On the 13th an
entire Jewish family were murdered in their sleep in Safad; and the next
day four Jewish occupants of a car, including a girl of 19, were shot dead
in Haifa. The much-respected Arab liayor of Hebron and also a Jewish
electrician of Tel Aviv were further victims of the day's murders. On
the 16th a bomb was thrown from a train passing the level crossing in a
crowded main street of Tel Aviv: a boy of 7 was killed and 24 of the
Jewish crov/d vraunded. On the 17th three young Jewish girls were shot
dead outside the Government Hospital in Jaffa. This act did more than
anything to rouse public indignation, since two of the girls were nurses
who had heroically continued their work in the dangers of Jaffa nursing
Arabs regardless of race or creed.
The feelings which had been aroused by these incidents led to some
reprisals, and the Jewish leaders were having serious difficulty in keep
ing the younger elements in hand. It looked as though a dangerous inter
racial conflict might ensue at any moment. In consequence the Air
Officer Commanding pressed once again for a declaration of Martial Law,
indicating the measures he proposed to institute for the restoration of
order and the additional forces required to carry them out. The latter
were to depend upon the agreement of His Majesty's Government to an air
control plan submitted to the High Commissioner on the 20th; failing
agreement to this a forecast was made of further military reinforcements
which would be necessary to restore peace.
20th - 29th August
A strange interlude now occurred which was to have far-reaching
effects in the political and military spheres. About this time two
prominent Iraqis left Baghdad for Palestine. One, Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Ali Said,
the Foreign Minister, came in a British service aircraft and stayed at
Government House; v/hile the other Fauzi A1 Quwaqji, a notorious ex-officer
of the Syrian and Iraqi armies, crossed the Jordan secretly at dead of
night and made for the Nablus hills. Thereafter both entered into
negotiations with the rebel leaders; though while Fauzi was given command
of the rebels and started to reorganize them and improve their fighting
powers, Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ostensibly sustained the role of a neutral peacemaker.
In this he was unsuccessful, and on the eve of his departure an incident
occurred wliich confirmed the strong suspicions as to his real motives
which had been present in military circles throughout. On the 30th the
Higher Committee published a manifesto in which Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was represent
ed as acting for the Arab Kings and Princes, and announcing that complete
agreement had been reached regarding the intervention to be undertaken
by the Iraq Government.
Meanwhile the campaign of violence continued unabated and it was
clear that the Mufti had been using the recent negotiations as a cover
for the entry of adherents and arms for the armed bands from Iraq, Syria
and Trans-Jordan. After Fauzi’s arrival the bands soon demonstrated more
effective leadership and organization, v/hile the extension of their