Hajj Amin al-Husayni has used his religious…

Hajj Amin al-Husayni has used his religious position as grand mufti to transform himself into the most powerful political figure among the Arabs of Palestine.

While the strongly anti-British al-Husayni family has continued to lead most Arab groups, the National Defense Party (al-Hizb al-Difa'a al-Watani), founded in Jerusalem on November 4, 1934, is under the control of the more accommodating an-Nashashibi family; Ragheb Nashashibi serves as the party's first chair.