Muslim-Christian Associations

In 1918, following the British defeat of the Ottoman army and their establishment of a Military Government in Palestine, a number of political clubs called Muslim-Christian Associations (Al-Jam'iah al-Islamiya al-Massihiya) were established in all the major towns. They soon formed a national body, the Palestine Arab Congress, which tried to influence the developing British policy in Palestine and counter the influence of the Zionist Commission which visited Palestine in April 1918. The main platform of these groups were:

The Muslim-Christian Associations are regarded as the first manifestations of a broad based Palestinian Nationalist movement. By the end of the 1920s they had ceased to be important. The membership was from the upper classes and they proved to be ineffective in halting the Zionist advances and failed to provide leadership for a public that was becoming increasingly concerned about the future.

The first Muslim-Christian Association was founded in Jaffa, 8 May 1918, with al-Hajj Ragib al-Dajani as its president. The membership were prominent members of Jaffa society. The Jaffa group was largely pro-British, partly because the citrus export industry needed to maintain good relations with the authorities. Also the military governor of Jaffa, Colonel Hubbard, had good relations with the Arabs of the town. One Zionist source maintains that the Association was Hubbard's idea. In November 1918, to mark the anniversary of Allenby's victory over the Turks, the Jaffa Association presented the governor with a statement expressing their confidence in British promises of self-government and self-determination. They also emphasized that Palestine was an Arab country and expressed their opposition to Zionists claims to the land. In May 1919 the Jaffa Association held a mass meeting in the Zohar Cinema with about 500 people attending. The main resolutions called for independence, recognition of Palestine as being part of Greater Syria and opposition to Jewish immigration. After two hours the meeting got out of control and the military authorities closed it down.

The first head of the Jerusalem Muslim-Christian Association was Arif Pasha Dajani. On 24 November 1918 the British military governor of Jerusalem, Ronald Storrs, warned the mayor, Musa Kazem al-Husseini, and other notables that membership of the Muslim-Christian Association was incompatible with an administrative or a political career. The following year, between 27 January and 10 February 1919, the Associations held a Congress in Jerusalem. Most of the delegates were elderly and from privileged backgrounds. The group was already losing touch with the more radical opinions of the general population. In March the Jerusalem Association proposed holding a demonstration on 1 April 1919 to protest against the Zionist program. This was called off after the authorities denied permission. Similarly, in May 1919, the Association proposed issuing a circular presenting their views in anticipation of the arrival of the Inter-Allied Commission. The statement emphasized the unity of Palestine and Syria and rejected the idea of a Jewish National Home while acknowledging the rights of the existing Jewish population. General Allenby refused permission for it to be issued and the circular was withdrawn.

...
Wikipedia