Aref al-Aref ( ar, عارف العارف, 1892–1973), variously spelled as Arif el Arif, 'Arif el-'Arif, etc., was a
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
journalist, historian and politician. He served as mayor of
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel.
Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...
in the 1950s during the
Jordanian annexation of the West Bank
The Jordanian annexation of the West Bank formally occurred on 24 April 1950, after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, during which Transjordan occupied territory that had previously been part of Mandatory PalestineRaphael Israeli, Jerusalem div ...
.
Biography
Aref al-Aref was born in 1892 as Aref Shehadeh in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
in 1892.
[Tamari & Turjman (2011), pp. 66–68, 71–76] His father was a vegetable vendor. Excelling at his studies in primary school, he was sent to high school in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. He attended the Marjan Preparatory School and Mulkiyya College in Istanbul. During his college studies, he wrote for a Turkish newspaper. Later, he worked as a translator for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[Wasserstein (1977)] He served as an officer in the Ottoman Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun silahlı kuvvetleri) was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire.
Army
The military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the ...
in World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He was captured on the Caucasus front and spent three years in a prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
camp in Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yeni ...
, Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
.[ In Krasnoyarsk, he edited a newspaper in handwritten Arabic called ''Nakatullah'' amel of Godand translated ]Ernst Haeckel
Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new sp ...
's ''Die Weltraethsel'' (" The Riddles of the Universe") into Turkish.[ After the ]Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
he escaped and returned to Ottoman Palestine
Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south ...
.[
Aref al-Aref died on 30 July 1973, in ]al-Bireh
Al-Bireh, al-Birah, or el-Bira ( ar, البيرة; also known historically as Castrum Mahomeria, Magna Mahomeria, Mahomeria Major, Birra, or Beirothah) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It i ...
.
Political activism
By 1919, al-Aref was involved in political activism in Palestine, agitating for unity of Palestine with Syria.[Tamari & Turjman (2011), pp. 78–79] In October 1919, he became editor of the recently established newspaper '' Suriya al-Janubiya'' (Southern Syria), which was the first Arab nationalist newspaper published in Jerusalem and was an organ of the al-Nadi al-'Arabi (The Arab Club).[ Initially the paper supported the British military authorities, but soon became an opponent of the British Mandate.][
Al-Aref attended the ]Nebi Musa
Nabi Musa ( ar, ٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى, An-Nabī Mūsā, meaning "The Prophet Moses", also transliterated as Nebi Musa) is a mosque and a Palestinian locality in the Jericho Governorate of Palestine, in the West Bank, believed to contain ...
religious festival in Jerusalem in 1920 riding on his horse, and gave a speech at the Jaffa Gate
Jaffa Gate ( he, שער יפו, Sha'ar Yafo; ar, باب الخليل, Bāb al-Khalīl, "Hebron Gate") is one of the seven main open Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The name Jaffa Gate is currently used for both the historical Ottoman gate ...
.[ The nature of his speech is disputed. According to Benny Morris, he said "If we don't use force against the Zionists and against the Jews, we will never be rid of them", while Bernard Wasserstein wrote "he seems to have cooperated with the police, and there is no evidence that he actively instigated violence".][ In fact, "Zionist intelligence reports of this period are unanimous in stressing that he spoke repeatedly against violence".][ Soon the festival became a ]riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...
involving attacks on the local Jews. Al-Aref was arrested for incitement, but when he was let out on bail he escaped to Syria together with co-accused Haj Amin al-Husseini.[ In another version, he was warned and escaped before being arrested.][Ṭauber (1994), pp. 95, 105] He advised Arabs against violence, urging them instead to adopt the "discipline, silence, and courage" of their opponents.[ In his absence, a military court sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment.][
In Damascus, al-Aref became a deputy to the General Syrian Congress and with Hajj Amin and others formed al-Jam'iyya al-'Arabiyya al-Filastiniyya (Palestinian Arab Society).][ He became its Secretary-General and campaigned against the decisions of the ]San Remo conference
The San Remo conference was an international meeting of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council as an outgrowth of the Paris Peace Conference, held at Villa Devachan in Sanremo, Italy, from 19 to 26 April 1920. The San Remo Resolution pas ...
.[ After the French invasion of Syria in July 1920, he fled to ]Transjordan Transjordan may refer to:
* Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River
* Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan
* Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946)
* Hashemite Kingdom of ...
.[ He returned to Jerusalem late in 1920 after being pardoned by the new British High Commissioner of Palestine, ]Herbert Samuel
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, (6 November 1870 – 5 February 1963) was a British Liberal politician who was the party leader from 1931 to 1935.
He was the first nominally-practising Jew to serve as a Cabinet minister and to beco ...
, but the government refused to allow his newspaper to reopen.[
]
Political career
In 1921, he was appointed as a district Officer of the British administration by the Civil Secretary, Colonel Wyndham Deedes
Brigadier-General Sir Wyndham Henry Deedes, CMG, DSO(10 March 1883 – 2 September 1956) was a British Army officer and civil administrator. He was the Chief Secretary to the British High Commissioner of the British Mandate of Palestine.
E ...
.[ He served in that capacity in ]Jenin
Jenin (; ar, ') is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate of the State of Palestine and is a major center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, Jenin had a population of app ...
, Nablus
Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...
, Beisan
Beit She'an ( he, בֵּית שְׁאָן '), also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan ( ar, بيسان ), is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level.
Beit She'an is be ...
, and Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
.[ In 1926 he was seconded to the Government of ]Transjordan Transjordan may refer to:
* Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River
* Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan
* Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946)
* Hashemite Kingdom of ...
as Chief Secretary, where he served for three years.[ However he continued his political activities on the side to the displeasure of his British superior.][ He returned to Palestine in 1929, where he served as District Officer in ]Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
and later in Gaza.[ In 1933 he received a special commendation from the High Commissioner for keeping his district quiet during a time of disturbances elsewhere.][ In 1942 he was promoted and transferred to ]al-Bireh
Al-Bireh, al-Birah, or el-Bira ( ar, البيرة; also known historically as Castrum Mahomeria, Magna Mahomeria, Mahomeria Major, Birra, or Beirothah) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It i ...
.[ He continued as a Mandate official until 1948.][
Upon Jordanian control of the ]West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, al-Aref was first appointed military governor of Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
governorate, and then, from 1949 to 1955, served as mayor of East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel.
Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...
.[Fischbach (2005)] In 1967, he was appointed director of the Palestine Archaeological Museum (Rockefeller Museum
The Rockefeller Archeological Museum, formerly the Palestine Archaeological Museum ("PAM"; 1938–1967), and which before then housed The Imperial Museum of Antiquities (''Müze-i Hümayun''; 1901–1917), is an archaeology museum
A museum ...
) in Jerusalem.[
]
Published works
All following books have been published in Arabic, unless mentioned otherwise, and the English titles are literal translations of the Arabic ones.
* heBedouin Law/Bedouin Judiciary (''Al Qadaa bayn al Badou''), 1933; new edition published in Beirut, 2001[
*History of Beersheba and its Tribes (''Tarikh B’ir al-Sabi‘ wa Qabailiha''), Jerusalem 1934.] Probably identical with "The Bedouin Love, Law and Legend: History of Beersheba and Its Tribes", 1934[
*My Vision (''Ru'yay''), Jerusalem 1943][
*History of Gaza (''Tarikh Ghazza''), Jerusalem 1943][
*Gazan-Jerusalemite History (''Tarigh Ghaza-Al Quds''), Jerusalem 1943][
*'Aref el-'Aref, in collaboration with/editor Harold W. Tilley, in English. ''Bedouin Love, Law and Legend, Dealing Exclusively with the Badu of Beersheba''. Jerusalem 1944.National Library of Australia]
/ref> Also listed as ''Bedouin Love, Law and Legend: History of Beersheba and Its Tribes''.[
*History of al-Haram al-Sharif (''Tarikh al-Haram al-Sharif'' or ''Tarikh al-Haram al-Qudsi''), Jerusalem 1947][
*History of Jerusalem (''Tarikh al-Quds''), Cairo 1951][ and/or Summary of the History of Jerusalem (''Al Mijaz fi Tarikh al Quds''), Cairo 1951][
*The Disaster (''al-Nakba''), six vols., 1956–1961. ][ Also listed as The catastrophe: The catastrophe of Jerusalem and the lost paradise (''al-Nakba: Nakbat Bayt al-Maqdis wal-firdaws al-mafqud'')
*The Detailed History of Jerusalem (''al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-Quds''), Jerusalem 1961][
]
References
Bibliography
*
*, quoting the official history of the Haganah
Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...
*
* Very limited access to the text on Google Books.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aref, Aref
Arab people in Mandatory Palestine
20th-century Palestinian historians
1890s births
1973 deaths
Mayors of Jerusalem
Arabs in Ottoman Palestine
World War I prisoners of war held by Russia
Ottoman prisoners of war
Ottoman Army officers
Ottoman military personnel of World War I
Chief Secretaries of Transjordan
Palestine ethnographers