The Palestine Arab Party before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 947. Chapter XXIII: Community And Religious Affairs: Section 1:

CHAPTER XXIII.

9. In March, 1934, the unity that had been found by representative Palestinian Arabs in a series of congresses was broken by the death of Musa Kazem Pasha el Husseini, who, from 1920, had acted as permanent president of all the Arab congresses and Arab committees in Palestine. There arose a division of opinion in Arab circles as to the appointment of a successor. Yacoub Eff. Farraj, the Arab Christian vice-president of the Arab executive, was appointed as acting president to replace him. No agreement was reached as to the appointment of a permanent Moslem president.

10. With the death of Musa Kazem Pasha, Palestine Arab politics entered a new phase. In the place of representation by a series of congresses working through the Arab executive committee, the Arab leaders formed parties of their own; and since 1934 the varying relations of these parties have affected Arab political life. In April, 1936, with the predominance of Haj Amin Effendi el Husseini, Mufti of Jerusalem and President of the Supreme Moslem Council, the party leaders drew together to cooperate in a body known as the "Arab Higher Committee" under the chairmanship of Raj Amin. This committee, which assumed the direction of Arab policy throughout the disturbances of 1936, was made illegal by an order under the Emergency Regulations in 1937. Haj Amin and other leaders fled and were exiled; others were deported to the Seychelles. Thereafter there ceased to be any central representative Arab political body in Palestine until, on the 23rd November, 1945, the mediation of Jamil Bey Mardam , Syrian Minister to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, succeeded in inducing the Arab leaders to co-operate in a new "Arab Higher Committee".

11. Apart from the rivalry between the parties the Arab population has been, broadly speaking, aligned behind the families of Husseini and Nasbasbibi. These two families, both of which have enjoyed wealth, influence and office in Palestine for generations, came into conflict in 1920, when Musa Kazem Pasha el Husseini, on account of his extreme nationalist views and the part he bad played in the disturbances of the 4th April, 1920, was forced to resign the mayoralty of Jerusalem in favour of Ragheb Bey Nashasbibi. This feud, which became more intense during the disturbances of 1936-1939, is now in abeyance.

12. The parties are as follows :The Palestine Arab party.

This party was founded in May, 1935, under the presidency of Jamal Eff. el Husseini, a distant cousin of Haj Amin Eff. el

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