Briefing Document: 1929 Hebron Massacre - A Harbinger of October 7th

Main Themes:

The Power of Disinformation: The 1929 Hebron Massacre, like the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023, was fueled by a deliberate campaign of disinformation. In 1929, Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini spread the lie that Jews were planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque, inciting violence against the Jewish community. This theme resonates strongly with the contemporary spread of misinformation, highlighting its devastating potential across time.
Holy War, Not Territorial Dispute: The conflict, as argued by Yardena Schwartz in her book Ghosts of a Holy War, is fundamentally religious in nature. Arab leaders, then and now, frame the conflict in terms of Islamic ownership of the land, viewing a Jewish presence as anathema. This challenges the common Western perception of the conflict as a territorial dispute.
The Failure of Appeasement and the Shift in Zionist Consciousness: The British, in their attempt to maintain control, repeatedly appeased Arab violence through restrictions on Jewish immigration and land ownership. This failure to protect Jews led to a paradigm shift within the Zionist movement, pushing for greater self-reliance and a stronger defense force.
The Lasting Impact of the Hebron Massacre: The 1929 events were a turning point in the Arab-Israeli conflict. They led to the strengthening of the Haganah, a shift in Sephardic Jews towards Zionism, and the solidification of the Grand Mufti's power, who later collaborated with the Nazis. The massacre’s echoes continue to resonate in the present-day conflict.

Key Facts and Ideas:

The 1929 Hebron Massacre: On August 24th, 1929, a mob of 3,000 Arabs attacked the Jewish community of Hebron, murdering 67 Jews in a brutal pogrom. The massacre was marked by extreme cruelty, including the slaughter of infants and the rape of women.
The Role of the Grand Mufti: Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, played a central role in inciting the 1929 riots by spreading the false claim that Jews were plotting to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He later became a Nazi collaborator during World War II.
The British Response: The British, then the ruling power in Palestine, failed to adequately protect the Jewish community. The Shaw Commission, appointed to investigate the riots, ultimately blamed the violence on Jewish provocations, further emboldening Arab aggression.
The Evolution of the Haganah: The 1929 massacre led to a significant change in the Haganah, the pre-state Jewish defense organization. It became more centralized, organized, and better armed, recognizing the need for self-defense in the face of British inaction.

Quotes from the Source:

On the nature of the violence: “The rioters who broke into Jewish homes did not distinguish between men, women, or children. Infants were slaughtered in their mothers' arms. Children watched as their parents were butchered by their neighbors. Women and teenage girls were raped. Elderly rabbis and yeshiva students were mutilated.”
On the shift in Zionist consciousness: “August 1929 resulted in a paradigm shift, something that was unthinkable until it actually happened… Zionism was really not this unifying force um in the Jewish World particularly not within the Jewish community in Palestine… among very Orthodox Jews not only did that change, but the opposition to Zionism outside of Palestine… that also began to change after August 1929.”
On the conflict as a holy war: “The conflict, as argued by Yardena Schwartz in her book Ghosts of a Holy War, is fundamentally religious in nature. Arab leaders, then and now, frame the conflict in terms of Islamic ownership of the land, viewing Jewish presence as anathema.”

Conclusion:

The 1929 Hebron Massacre stands as a stark reminder of the dangers of religious extremism and the devastating power of disinformation. The event serves as a historical precedent to the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023, highlighting the enduring nature of the religious conflict and the urgent need for a nuanced understanding of its root causes.