British Proclamation on Criminal Trials for 1929 Arab Riots

Book Description

Proclamation for the Seating of British Judges in Criminal Trials 1929 Arab Riots(BROADSIDE/BRITISH MANDATE) Proclamation. Jerusalem. September 4, 1929. Greek Conv. Press. Printed in English and issued by Sir John R. Chancellor, High Commissioner and Commander in Chief of Palestine. Measures approx. 20 inches x 16 inches. Some folds evident with minor loss to the lower left corner and top center, not affecting text. Pinholes in corners.RARE HISTORICAL BROADSIDE outlining the steps that the British government will undertake to determine the cause and guilt of the 1929 riots and the formation of the Shaw Commission. The text reads in part: "I have yesterday enacted as a measure of public urgency, the Courts (Amendment) Ordinance, 1929, to provide that the Courts of trial for criminal cases arising out of the recent disorders shall be composed of British judges…"From 1922 through 1928 the relationship between Jews and Arabs was relatively peaceful. However, in late 1928 violent disagreements began over the rights of Jews to pray at The Western Wall in Jerusalem. These arguments led to an outbreak of Arab violence in August 1929, when Haj Amin al-Husseini, Mufti of Jerusalem, fomented Arab hatred by accusing Jews of endangering the mosques and other sites holy to Islam. On August 23, the Riots of 1929 erupted through the Palestine Mandate, lasting for seven days. This proclamation and the subsequent Commission of Inquiry, to be headed by Sir Walter Shaw, must have absolutely infuriated the Jews, as the riots (particularly in Hebron) were one of the worst atrocities in modern Israel’s history. The acting government of Palestine, led by Britain, did virtually nothing to stop the murder of 67 Jews, the wounding of hundreds more and the widespread destruction of homes and property. For the next 39 years no Jew lived in Hebron, until after its liberation by the Israeli military during the Six Day War in 1967.

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