This article describes violent events in the Old City of Jerusalem from April 4-7, 1920.

Warning signs

During their annual spring festival Nebi Musa (Prophet Moses), Muslims march from Jerusalem on the road to Jericho to where they believe Moses is buried. In the years predating 1920, these processions were marked by intimidation of Christian communities on their way. In numerous religions, including Abrahamic religions, Jah religions, Sikhism, and many forms of Paganism, a prophet is an intermediary with a deity, particularly someone who claims to speak for the deity or interprets the deitys will or mind. ... Moses or Móshe (מֹשֶׁה, Standard Hebrew Móše, Tiberian Hebrew Mōšeh, Arabic موسى Musa), son of Amram and his wife, Jochebed, a Levite. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Jerusalem (31°46′ N 35°14′ E; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushalayim; Arabic: القدس al-Quds; see also names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ... Jericho (Arabic أريحا; ʼArīḥā; Hebrew יְרִיחוֹ; Standard Hebrew YÉ™riḥo; Tiberian Hebrew YÉ™rîḫô, YÉ™rîḥô) is a town in the West Bank, near the west bank of the Jordan River. ... Testes A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. ...

After Emir Faisal I had agreed to the establishment of a Jewish National Home in Palestine by signing the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the local leaders of the Palestinian Arab community, among them the Jerusalem Mayor Musa Khazim al-Husayni, rejected this agreement made in their name and relations between Arabs and Jews worsened. This agreement was rejected because it did not meet the conditions that Prince Faisal wrote next to his signature, which rendered the agreement non-binding. This condition was that an independent Syrian state be created prior to the agreement taking effect. It is worth noting that this state was never created during Prince Faisal's reign. Entrance to the emirs palace in Bukhara. ... Faisal I Faisal ibn Husayn (May 20, 1883 – September 8, 1933) was for a short while king of Greater Syria in 1920 and king of Iraq from 1921 to 1933. ... The Balfour Declaration was a letter of November 2, 1917 from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour, to Lord Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation. ... The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement was signed on January 3, 1919, by Emir Faisal, son of the King of Hejaz and Chaim Weizmann, later President of the World Zionist Organization. ... The Paris Peace Conference was an international conference, organized by the victors of the World War I for negotiating the peace treaties between the Allied and Associated Powers and their former enemies. ... The Palestinians are a mainly Arabic-speaking people with family origins in Palestine. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب Ê»arab) are an originally Arabian ethnicity widespread in the Middle East and North Africa. ...

The Arab attacks of March 1920 in Galilee (see the fall of Tel Hai and Joseph Trumpeldor) and the activities of the Arab terrorist group Black Hand (Palestine) caused deep concerns among Zionist leaders, who made numerous requests to the Mandate administration to address the Yishuv's security. Their fears were ruled out by the Chief Administrative Officer General Louis Bols, Governor Ronald Storrs and General Edmund Allenby, particularly at their meeting with the president of the World Zionist Organization Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who warned them: "pogrom is in the air". 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Galilee (Hebrew hagalil הגליל, Arabic al-jaleel الجليل), meaning circuit, is a large area overlappping with much of the North District of Israel. ... Tel Hai is a settlement in Galilee. ... Joseph Trumpledor in uniform c. ... For other meanings, please see Zionism (disambiguation) Zionism is a Jewish political movement, developed in response to 19th century anti-Semitism, which maintains that the Jewish people are entitled to a national homeland in the land of Zion (a synecdoche for the Land of Israel, also known as the region... Map of the territory under the British Mandate of Palestine. ... Yishuv is a Hebrew word meaning settlement. ... Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby ( April 23, 1861 - May 14, 1936) was a British soldier most famous for his role during World War I, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918. ... The World Zionist Organization [WZO] was founded as the Zionist Organization [ZO] on September 3, 1897, at the First Zionist Congress held in Basel, Switzerland. ... Chaim Weizmann Chaim Weizmann (חיים ויצמן) (also: Chaijim W., Haim W.) ( November 27, 1874 – November 9, 1952) chemist, statesman, President of the World Zionist Organization, first President of Israel (elected May 16, 1948, served 1949 - 1952) and founder of a research institute in Israel which eventually became the Weizmann Institute... A pogrom (from Russian: погром, meaning wreaking of havoc) is a massive violent attack on a particular ethnic or religious group with simultaneous destruction of their environment (homes, businesses, religious centers). ...

Storrs issued a warning to Arab leaders, but his forces included only 188 policemen, among them but 8 officers. The Ottoman Turks had usually deployed thousands of soldiers to keep order in the narrow streets of Jerusalem during the Nebi Musa procession. The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (Ottoman Turkish for the Eternal State) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Constantinople (İstanbul) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 6. ...

Zeev Jabotinsky, who was earlier discharged from the British army as an "indiscreet political speaker", lead an effort to openly train Jewish volunteers in self-defense. The request to the British authorities to allow arming of the defenders was declined, however about 600 Jews were secretly armed with small guns. Zeev Jabotinsky Zeev Vladimir (Evgenevich) Jabotinsky (or Zhabotinski) (October 18, 1880 - August 4, 1940) was a Zionist leader, author, orator, and founder of the Jewish Legion in World War I. During World War II a similar and larger unit known as the Jewish Brigade would follow. ...

April 4-7, 1920 in the Old City

During a procession on April 4, 1920, inflammatory anti-Zionist rhetoric led to rioting in Jerusalem. One of the inciters was Hajj Amin al-Husayni, a young nephew of the mayor of Jerusalem, another was the editor of the newspaper Suriya al-Janubia ("Southern Syria") Aref al-Aref, who delivered his speech on horseback. The Arab mob went on to ransack the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, beating anyone they could find and looting shops and homes. The riots lasted for four days. April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Anti-Zionism is a term used to describe several different political and religious points of view. ... Mohammad Amin al-Husayni Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (ca. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Arab educator and a essayist Khalil al-Sakakini witnessed the eruption of violence in the Old City: Khalil Sakakini Khalil al-Sakakini (خليل السكاكيني) (January 23, 1878 - August 13, 1953) was a distinguished Palestinian Jerusalemite educator, scholar, and poet. ...

"[A] riot broke out, the people began to run about and stones were thrown at the Jews. The shops were closed and there were screams... I saw a Zionist soldier covered in dust and blood... Afterwards, I saw one Hebronite approach a Jewish shoeshine boy, who hid behind a sack in one of the wall's comers next to Jaffa Gate, and take his box and beat him over the head. He screamed and began to run, his head bleeding and the Hebronite left him and returned to the procession... The riot reached its zenith. All shouted, "Muhammad's religion was born with the sword"... I immediately walked to the municipal garden... my soul is nauseated and depressed by the madness of humankind." (Source: Khalil al-Sakakini, Such am I, Oh World!, quoted by Benny Morris, Righteous Victims)

The British acted erratically. After the violence broke out, Jabotisky met Storrs and suggested deployment of his volunteers, but this request was rejected. Later Storrs changed his mind and asked for 200 volunteers to report to the police headquarters to be sworn in as deputies. After they arrived and the administering of the oath had begun, orders came to cease and send them away. The army imposed night curfew on Sunday night and arrested several dozen rioters, but on Monday morning they were allowed to attend morning prayer and then released. Benny Morris is a prominent Jewish, Israeli historian. ... A curfew can be one of the following: An order by the government for certain persons to return home before a certain time. ...

On Monday disturbances grew worse and the Old City was sealed off by the army. Even the Jews who sought to flee were not allowed to leave. Martial law was declared, but looting, burglary, rape and murder continued. Several homes were set on fire. Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice (and usually of the whole state). ...

On Monday evening, the soldiers were evacuated from the Old City, a step that was later declared an "an error of judgment" by a court inquiry.

Jewish volunteers entered the Old City to organize self-defense of its residents. One of the volunteers was Nehemia Rabin (Rubitzov), future father of Yitzhak Rabin. Eventually, the violence was quelled by the British. Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (or Yitschak Rabin) (יצחק רבין in Hebrew), (March 1, 1922 – November 4, 1995) was an Israeli politician and general. ...

The aftermath

Fatalities: 5 Jews, 4 Arabs. Wounded: 216 Jews (18 critically), 23 Arabs (1 critically), 7 British soldiers.

The majority of the victims were old-Yishuv (non-Zionist, and some anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews). About 300 Jews from the Old City were evacuated. Yishuv is a Hebrew word meaning settlement. ... Orthodox Judaism is one of the three major branches of Judaism. ...

After the riots, Storrs visited Menachem Ussishkin, the chairman of the Zionist Commission, to express "regrets for the tragedy that has befallen us," Ussishkin asked, "What tragedy?"

"I mean the unfortunate events that have occurred here in the recent days," Storrs said.

"His excellency means the pogrom," suggested Ussishkin. When Storrs hesitated to categorize the events as such, Ussishkin replied, "You Colonel, are an expert on matters of management and I am an expert on the rules of pogroms."

At the demand of the Palestinian Arab leadership, the British searched the offices and apartments of the Zionist leadership, including Weizmann's and Jabotisky's homes, for arms. At Jabotinsky's house they found 3 rifles, 2 pistols, and 250 rounds of ammunition. Nineteen men were arrested, including Jabotinsky.

A committee of inquiry placed responsibility for the riots on the Zionist Commission, for provoking the Arabs. Jabotinsky was given a fifteen year prison term for possessing weapons. The court blamed "Bolshevism," claiming that it "flowed in Zionism's inner heart" and ironically identified fiercely anti-Socialist Jabotinsky with the Socialist-aligned Poalei Zion ("Zionist Workers") party, which it called "a definite Bolshevist institution". Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... Labour (העבודה HaAvoda) is an Israeli political party. ...

Some of the rioters were punished. Musa al-Hussayni was replaced as mayor by the head of the rival Nashashibi clan. Hajj Amin Al-Husayni and Aref al-Aref were each sentenced to ten years in absentia, since by then both had fled to Syria.

The official inquiry that followed found that the British military administration was rife with anti-Semitism and that the measures taken to maintain order were inadequate, but no one was charged. Not a single policeman was charged for failing in his duties. The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ...

A few weeks later, the San Remo conference replaced military administration of the Mandate with a civil government under Sir Herbert Samuel. The San Remo conference (19-26 April 1920, San Remo, Italy) of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council determined the allocation of Class A League of Nations mandates for administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East by the victorious powers. ... Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel (1870-1963) was a British politician and diplomat. ...

One of the most important results of the riot was that legal Jewish immigration to Palestine was halted, a major demand of the Palestinian Arab community. Feeling that the British were unwilling to defend them from continuous Arab violence, the Palestinian Jews decided to set up an underground self-defense militia, the Haganah ("defense"). The Haganah (Hebrew: Defense, ×”×’× ×”) was a Jewish paramilitary organization in Palestine during the British mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948. ...

See also

• Zionism
• Anti-Zionism
• Timeline of Zionism
• Timeline of Jewish History
• History of anti-Semitism
• Riots in Palestine of May, 1921
• British Mandate of Palestine

For other meanings, please see Zionism (disambiguation) Zionism is a Jewish political movement, developed in response to 19th century anti-Semitism, which maintains that the Jewish people are entitled to a national homeland in the land of Zion (a synecdoche for the Land of Israel, also known as the region... Anti-Zionism is a term used to describe several different political and religious points of view. ... Timeline of Zionism in the modern era: 1861 - The Zion Society is formed in Frankfurt, Germany. ... This entry contains a timeline of the development of Judaism and the Jewish people. ... This is a partial chronology of hostilities towards or discrimination against the Jews as a religious or ethnic group. ... On May 1, 1921, a scuffle began in Tel Aviv-Jaffa between rival groups of Jewish Bolsheviks, carrying Yiddish banners demanding Soviet Palestine, and Socialists parading on May Day. ... Map of the territory under the British Mandate of Palestine. ...

References

• ISBN 1566631890 Weathered by Miracles: A history of Palestine from Bonaparte and Muhammad Ali to Ben-Gurion and the mufti (by Thomas A. Idinopulos)
• ISBN 0805048480 One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate (by Tom Segev)