What do you think of the statement below by Emir Faisal (son of the King of Hejaz), nearly 100 years ago? Can we get back to this position?
Two weeks prior to signing the agreement, Faisal stated:
Wikipedia Faisal–Weizmann Agreement
Book excerpt Syria and the USA)
Text of agreement:
Agreement Between Emir Feisal and Dr. Weizmann[16]
3 January 1919
His Royal Highness the Emir Feisal, representing and acting on behalf of the Arab Kingdom of Hedjaz, and Dr. Chaim Weizmann, representing and acting on behalf of the Zionist Organization, mindful of the racial kinship and ancient bonds existing between the Arabs and the Jewish people, and realizing that the surest means of working out the consummation of their natural aspirations is through the closest possible collaboration in the development of the Arab State and Palestine, and being desirous further of confirming the good understanding which exists between them, have agreed upon the following:
Articles:
Given under our hand at London, England, the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen
Chaim Weizmann Feisal Ibn-Hussein
The two main branches of the Semitic family, Arabs and Jews, understand one another, and I hope that as a result of interchange of ideas at the Peace Conference, which will be guided by ideals of self-determination and nationality, each nation will make definite progress towards the realization of its aspirations. Arabs are not jealous of Zionist Jews, and intend to give them fair play and the Zionist Jews have assured the Nationalist Arabs of their intention to see that they too have fair play in their respective areas. Turkish intrigue in Palestine has raised jealousy between the Jewish colonists and the local peasants, but the mutual understanding of the aims of Arabs and Jews will at once clear away the last trace of this former bitterness, which, indeed, had already practically disappeared before the war by the work of the Arab Secret Revolutionary Committee, which in Syria and elsewhere laid the foundation of the Arab military successes of the past two years.[12]
(other links Agreement text Faisal-Weizmann agreement/Non-UN document (3 January 1919)Other sources: Syrian Times Faisal-Weizmann Agreement Between Arabs and Jews About Palestine| 3 Jan1919
Wikipedia Faisal–Weizmann Agreement
Book excerpt Syria and the USA)
Text of agreement:
Agreement Between Emir Feisal and Dr. Weizmann[16]
3 January 1919
His Royal Highness the Emir Feisal, representing and acting on behalf of the Arab Kingdom of Hedjaz, and Dr. Chaim Weizmann, representing and acting on behalf of the Zionist Organization, mindful of the racial kinship and ancient bonds existing between the Arabs and the Jewish people, and realizing that the surest means of working out the consummation of their natural aspirations is through the closest possible collaboration in the development of the Arab State and Palestine, and being desirous further of confirming the good understanding which exists between them, have agreed upon the following:
Articles:
- Article I
- Article II
- Article III
- Article IV
- Article V
- Article VI
- Article VII
- Article VIII
- Article IX
Given under our hand at London, England, the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen
Chaim Weizmann Feisal Ibn-Hussein
4 Answers
I will inshAllah answer three questions:
1- What do you think of the statement (Faisal - Weizmann Agreement)?
2- Can we get back to this position?
3- Why?
Prince Faisal (right) hosting Dr. Weizmann, wearing Arab iqal (headdress) as a sign of friendship.
1- What do you think of the statement (Faisal - Weizmann Agreement)?
Both men were (visionary - realistic):
A- Faisal bin Hussein:
1- Vision: To implement the understandings made by Great Britain to his father Shareef Hussein, McMahon–Hussein Correspondence (1915 - 1916), that is to establish one Arab state in Arabia, Arabia includes what is today known as the Gulf countries, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and Israel (and a small forgotten Arab country called "Ahwas" today is occupied by Iran).
A poster thrown by Royal British air force for the Arab soldiers and officers serving in the Turkish Ottoman Army, explaining in Arabic the British intention to fulfill McMahon - Hussein Correspondence to establish an Arab state in the ((quoting: The Eastern Part of the Arab World))!!
2- Reality: Jewish immigration to Palestine is a real fact at the time, it can be good though, those new arrivals from Europe and America are highly educated, and wealthy, they can be a foundation stone in modernizing this area which suffered a lot of the Turkish primitive occupation, also rebuilding the destroyed and ruined infrastructure after WW1.
B- Chaim Weizmann:
1- Vision: (Quoting his words: We have [the Jewish people] never based the Zionist movement on Jewish suffering in Russia or in any other land. These suffering have never been the mainspring of Zionism. The foundation of Zionism was, and continues to be to this day, the yearning of the Jewish people for its homeland, for a national centre and a national life.) ... in three words: a Jewish state in Palestine.
2- Reality: at the time, the Sykes–Picot Agreement (May 1916) wasn't known yet (following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Bolsheviks exposed the agreement, but no one heard of such treaty before), so the majority of politicians globally believed that the Arabs alliance with the allied forces against Germany-Turkey will result an Arab state in Arabia, therefore Dr. Weizmann believed that the Jewish state in Palestine can be part of a bigger Arab State (or let say Middle Eastern union, although the agreement with Faisal refers to an Arab State ... the term Middle East includes Iran and Turkey, only total ignorant may presume that Dr. Weizmann meant such an idea at the time).
The Faisal-Weizmann agreement was great by all means, in fact if it was implemented, it would have changed the course of history, BUT HISTORY IS SO TRICKY (and that is what I always say to the Zionists, but they never listen), less than one month later, the Paris Peace Conference decided that the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire should be wholly separated and the newly conceived mandate-system applied to them.[12] so all their efforts were gone with the wind, because the agreement presumed that there will be an "Arab State" in Arabia, but that wasn't the plan of London.
The British plan was very simple, known and old, it is called (Divide and Master), their aim was to conquer the entire area by creating all kinds of separations, their eyes were widely open on the western coast of the Persian Gulf and Southern Iraq because it's the link to India through Persia, having France as the ultimate competitor and ally, they have no way to the Mediterranean but Palestine, so they not only double-crossed Arabs, but also France, in the end Palestine wasn't under international control as it was supposed to be, it was under British Mandate for Palestine, they had also a plan for Jews, they are getting out of a bloody war, they have so many lands to grab, so many nations to rob, so many borders to keep, so they need finance, and that's what the Jews had, so they built close relationship with the Zionist movement, and of course, they got nothing to lose, it is not their land they are giving away, so they offered Uganda to be the future Jewish state (Uganda Scheme), Following mainstream Zionist rejection of that proposal, Dr. Weizmann worked withArthur Balfour to obtain the milestone Balfour Declaration Nov. 1917 (a British declaration to support and endorse the establishment of a state for the Jewish people in Palestine).
If things went as Faisal-Weizmann planned, we would have had one country called Arabia, with a considerable Jewish community living in Palestine or wherever they wanted to be in this country, and that is not a dream, it happened before, in Andalusia (Islamic Iberia), Jews were enjoying a life of political and social freedom they never had in their entire history in any place on this planet, they were ministers and personal consultants of the Caliphs (see: Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain), and even before the Arabs were defeated out of Andalusia in 1483, Jews and Muslims were expelled from all of Andalusia, and that is the reason why there are many Jews in Morocco, and those who decided to stay and practice their faith in secret had to deal with the horrific Spanish Inquisition established in 1478
2- Can we get back to this position?
No, sadly, there is absolutely no chance for that.
3- Why?
kindly have a look on the history of peace talks and agreements with Israel:
You will easily notice that the Palestinians lost another part of their lands, another part of their rights, again, and again, and again, you will also notice that Israel got more stronger, more powerful, more politically immune, another note, the Arab countries getting weaker and even smaller, Iraq out of the way, Syria out of the way, Libya, Yemen, Egypt ... and God knows what the future will be for the remaining Arab countries.
The Arabs have an old wisdom: ((immunity against punishment returns bad manners)), and that is the whole story.
Israel own the nuclear bomb, also the Neutron bomb (By 1984, according to Mordechai Vanunu, Israel was mass-producing neutron bombs.[23]), it reached an astonishing level of military technology, even great nations such as India, China, and even Russia are seeking cooperation in military industry with Israel, so the Israelis feel so powerful so they don't feel they have to\ need to return back anything, so proposals based on (Land For Peace) are not considered logical anymore, instead the only logic in the Israeli market is (Peace For Peace), meaning: (We are so powerful, consider yourself lucky if we leave you in peace).
In few decades to come, this logic will vanish, there will be enough Israelis to settle in other lands, population problems in Israel, lack of water resources, high accommodation cost ... ect , so there will be new logic, that is (Leave For Peace), meaning: (We are so powerful, consider yourself lucky if we allowed you to leave in peace).
One thing they got wrong, that is their twisted understanding of history, whatever you plan, history has a plan for you, and it can be a deadly one, maybe an earthquake, a tsunami, something went completely wrong in some nuclear reactor ... in few seconds, life can turn upside down dramatically, and in that moment, the last thing you need is someone waiting for you in the corner, and he has been waiting for so long, and will never let you go a way with your HISTORY.
There is something 1000 times better for Israelis than the Faisal - Weizmann Agreement, that is the Arab League initiative, that agreement is not valid anymore, but the initiative is still on the table:
1- Two states solution.
2- Right of return to the Palestinian state, and financial compensation for those who were in 1948 lands.
3- Exchange of lands.
4- International arrangements for Jerusalem.
5- Peace with ALL Arab countries.
6- Billions of dollars of financial commitments.
Take it while you can, for the history is trickier than you think, and things might not go as you wish after all.
Thanks for A2A John, a wonderful question indeed!!
1- What do you think of the statement (Faisal - Weizmann Agreement)?
2- Can we get back to this position?
3- Why?
1- What do you think of the statement (Faisal - Weizmann Agreement)?
Both men were (visionary - realistic):
A- Faisal bin Hussein:
1- Vision: To implement the understandings made by Great Britain to his father Shareef Hussein, McMahon–Hussein Correspondence (1915 - 1916), that is to establish one Arab state in Arabia, Arabia includes what is today known as the Gulf countries, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and Israel (and a small forgotten Arab country called "Ahwas" today is occupied by Iran).
2- Reality: Jewish immigration to Palestine is a real fact at the time, it can be good though, those new arrivals from Europe and America are highly educated, and wealthy, they can be a foundation stone in modernizing this area which suffered a lot of the Turkish primitive occupation, also rebuilding the destroyed and ruined infrastructure after WW1.
B- Chaim Weizmann:
1- Vision: (Quoting his words: We have [the Jewish people] never based the Zionist movement on Jewish suffering in Russia or in any other land. These suffering have never been the mainspring of Zionism. The foundation of Zionism was, and continues to be to this day, the yearning of the Jewish people for its homeland, for a national centre and a national life.) ... in three words: a Jewish state in Palestine.
2- Reality: at the time, the Sykes–Picot Agreement (May 1916) wasn't known yet (following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Bolsheviks exposed the agreement, but no one heard of such treaty before), so the majority of politicians globally believed that the Arabs alliance with the allied forces against Germany-Turkey will result an Arab state in Arabia, therefore Dr. Weizmann believed that the Jewish state in Palestine can be part of a bigger Arab State (or let say Middle Eastern union, although the agreement with Faisal refers to an Arab State ... the term Middle East includes Iran and Turkey, only total ignorant may presume that Dr. Weizmann meant such an idea at the time).
The Faisal-Weizmann agreement was great by all means, in fact if it was implemented, it would have changed the course of history, BUT HISTORY IS SO TRICKY (and that is what I always say to the Zionists, but they never listen), less than one month later, the Paris Peace Conference decided that the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire should be wholly separated and the newly conceived mandate-system applied to them.[12] so all their efforts were gone with the wind, because the agreement presumed that there will be an "Arab State" in Arabia, but that wasn't the plan of London.
The British plan was very simple, known and old, it is called (Divide and Master), their aim was to conquer the entire area by creating all kinds of separations, their eyes were widely open on the western coast of the Persian Gulf and Southern Iraq because it's the link to India through Persia, having France as the ultimate competitor and ally, they have no way to the Mediterranean but Palestine, so they not only double-crossed Arabs, but also France, in the end Palestine wasn't under international control as it was supposed to be, it was under British Mandate for Palestine, they had also a plan for Jews, they are getting out of a bloody war, they have so many lands to grab, so many nations to rob, so many borders to keep, so they need finance, and that's what the Jews had, so they built close relationship with the Zionist movement, and of course, they got nothing to lose, it is not their land they are giving away, so they offered Uganda to be the future Jewish state (Uganda Scheme), Following mainstream Zionist rejection of that proposal, Dr. Weizmann worked withArthur Balfour to obtain the milestone Balfour Declaration Nov. 1917 (a British declaration to support and endorse the establishment of a state for the Jewish people in Palestine).
If things went as Faisal-Weizmann planned, we would have had one country called Arabia, with a considerable Jewish community living in Palestine or wherever they wanted to be in this country, and that is not a dream, it happened before, in Andalusia (Islamic Iberia), Jews were enjoying a life of political and social freedom they never had in their entire history in any place on this planet, they were ministers and personal consultants of the Caliphs (see: Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain), and even before the Arabs were defeated out of Andalusia in 1483, Jews and Muslims were expelled from all of Andalusia, and that is the reason why there are many Jews in Morocco, and those who decided to stay and practice their faith in secret had to deal with the horrific Spanish Inquisition established in 1478
2- Can we get back to this position?
No, sadly, there is absolutely no chance for that.
3- Why?
kindly have a look on the history of peace talks and agreements with Israel:
- Faisal–Weizmann Agreement (1919)
- Paris Peace Conference, 1919
- 1949 Armistice Agreements
- Camp David Accords (1978)
- Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty (1979)
- Madrid Conference of 1991
- Oslo Accords (1993)
- Camp David 2000 Summit
You will easily notice that the Palestinians lost another part of their lands, another part of their rights, again, and again, and again, you will also notice that Israel got more stronger, more powerful, more politically immune, another note, the Arab countries getting weaker and even smaller, Iraq out of the way, Syria out of the way, Libya, Yemen, Egypt ... and God knows what the future will be for the remaining Arab countries.
The Arabs have an old wisdom: ((immunity against punishment returns bad manners)), and that is the whole story.
Israel own the nuclear bomb, also the Neutron bomb (By 1984, according to Mordechai Vanunu, Israel was mass-producing neutron bombs.[23]), it reached an astonishing level of military technology, even great nations such as India, China, and even Russia are seeking cooperation in military industry with Israel, so the Israelis feel so powerful so they don't feel they have to\ need to return back anything, so proposals based on (Land For Peace) are not considered logical anymore, instead the only logic in the Israeli market is (Peace For Peace), meaning: (We are so powerful, consider yourself lucky if we leave you in peace).
In few decades to come, this logic will vanish, there will be enough Israelis to settle in other lands, population problems in Israel, lack of water resources, high accommodation cost ... ect , so there will be new logic, that is (Leave For Peace), meaning: (We are so powerful, consider yourself lucky if we allowed you to leave in peace).
One thing they got wrong, that is their twisted understanding of history, whatever you plan, history has a plan for you, and it can be a deadly one, maybe an earthquake, a tsunami, something went completely wrong in some nuclear reactor ... in few seconds, life can turn upside down dramatically, and in that moment, the last thing you need is someone waiting for you in the corner, and he has been waiting for so long, and will never let you go a way with your HISTORY.
There is something 1000 times better for Israelis than the Faisal - Weizmann Agreement, that is the Arab League initiative, that agreement is not valid anymore, but the initiative is still on the table:
1- Two states solution.
2- Right of return to the Palestinian state, and financial compensation for those who were in 1948 lands.
3- Exchange of lands.
4- International arrangements for Jerusalem.
5- Peace with ALL Arab countries.
6- Billions of dollars of financial commitments.
Take it while you can, for the history is trickier than you think, and things might not go as you wish after all.
Thanks for A2A John, a wonderful question indeed!!
More Answers Below.
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Emir Faisal, born in Mecca, was essentially a British ally whose family lost control of Muslim shrines in Hejaz after WW1 to the Ibn Saud. His clan still rules Jordan, and also lorded it over Iraq until being toppled by Ba'athists.
His brand of religion appears to have been heavily mystical. Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the 'Pashtun Gandhi' who toured Palestine in the late 1920s following his pilgrimage to Mecca reported that the populace was convinced that the end of the world was nigh and seemed prepared for the arrival of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi. I strongly suspect that such ideas were transmitted from above.
Great statement. Too bad, but no we cannot get back there because no matter which side you support, too much has gone on since the making of that statement for the parties to go back there. Whatever your belief on the reasons, today there is not a leader on each side who could come together and sign a statement like that.
I wonder how that "Mohammedan" control over "Mohammedan" holy places would have worked out. I don't know of a Jewish holy place in the area that the Muslims haven't claimed as a holy place of their own. But maybe with some early-20th-century good will it wouldn't have been a problem. Can we return to that position? It's tempting to think that Jews and moderate Arabs could unite in a common cause. In recent days the papers have been floating the idea of an Egyptian-Saudi-Jordanian-
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