The pages of the several Arabic newspapers…
1914 CE
The Arabs seek an end to Jewish immigration and to land purchases by Zionists.
The population of Palestine, predominantly agricultural, is about six hundred and ninety thousand in 1914 (five hundred and thirty-five thousand Muslims; seventy thousand Christians, most of whom are Arabs; and eighty-five thousand Jews).
The anticipated break-up of the enfeebled Ottoman Empire on the eve of the Great War raises hopes among both Zionists and Arab nationalists.
The Zionists hope to attain support from one of the Great Powers for increased Jewish immigration and eventual sovereignty in Palestine, whereas the Arab nationalists want an independent Arab state covering all the Ottoman Arab domains.
From a purely demographic standpoint, the Zionist argument is not very strong—in 1914, they comprise only twelve percent of the total population of Palestine.
The nationalist ideal, however, is weak among the Arabs, and even among articulate Arabs competing visions of Arab nationalism—Islamic, pan-Arab, and statism—inhibit coordinated efforts to achieve independence.
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The Near and Middle East
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