An informative leaflet published by the Jewish Agency for the Land of Israel on September 19, 1940, calling for the unification of Jewish and Arab forces in the Land of Israel against the Nazi threat – against the backdrop of the publication of an Arabic booklet that took this stance, in which the writer claimed that the Arabs would prefer to remain a million years in hell with the Jews and the English, rather than a single moment in the Italian-German paradise. Edited by Y. Klinov, Director of the Information Bureau.
In this issue, the Bureau publishes the content of an Arabic booklet released by Mahmoud al-Ghurkas – “First Letter to the Arab Nation” – which was inserted into Arabic newspapers. In it, he writes that at this time the conflict between Jews and Arabs must be set aside, and that specifically the unification of forces could stand up to the threat posed by the German-Italian alliance, which is exploiting the Arab-Israeli conflict to reinforce its threat to the Land of Israel. The booklet states that the Arabs are by no means immune to the Nazi threat itself, as they are ranked at the bottom of the Nazi racial hierarchy along with the Jews. Furthermore, the Italian interest lies in turning the Arab countries themselves into Italian colonies. The booklet reads: “Even if the dictatorial propaganda continues to portray the Jews and the English to the Arabs as the people of hell, and the Italians and the Germans as the people of paradise, the Arabs would prefer to remain in such a hell for a million years rather than be a single moment in the Italian-German paradise.” In the leaflet, the Jewish Agency reinforces his words, writing that the shared interest of all inhabitants of the Land of Israel – Jews and Arabs alike – is to form a united front in support of democracy, and that: “After democracy triumphs and the world is freed from the Nazi nightmare, it will not be difficult to solve the problem of the Land of Israel between two Eastern Semitic peoples who are close to one another in their origin, culture, language, and history.” The Axis alliance, it is stated, can serve to strengthen the rapprochement between Jews, Arabs, and the English in the Land of Israel, toward the creation of a unified front. The issue further notes that the Italian attack on the city of Tel Aviv not only failed to weaken the various national groups in the Land of Israel, but in fact brought about closer ties and unity between Jews and Arabs. Mussolini’s attempt to stir Arab sympathy toward Italy through this act failed completely: “The bombing of an undefended city like Tel Aviv and the murder of women, the elderly, and infants provoked feelings of disgust and outrage among them.” Representatives of various Arab institutions participated in the funerals of the Jewish victims, and even the Arab press condemned the attack.
It is also written that the German attempt to penetrate the East began already during the Ottoman rule, when the Germans forced the Arabs to enlist against their will, exploited the country’s resources for their own benefit, and left its residents to starve. Therefore, the Arabs must learn from the past what their fate would be if they fall into German hands: “The Arabs gained much from England after the war (World War I). Together with the Jews, they should be interested in its victory and postpone the contentious issues between the nations until after the war, ” it states.
[1] Printed leaf, on both sides. Good condition.
