Thread by @GershomG

Yesterday, Sept. 9, was the anniversary of the worst Italian bombing raid of WWII against British-ruled Palestine: attack on Tel Aviv in which 117 Jews, 7 Arabs & 1 Australian soldier were killed.
#War_of_Shadows
@OrenNahari @SpitfireFilly @Ibishblog

Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the ex-mufti of Jerusalem, sent congratulations from his exile in Baghdad to Mussolini for bombing the Jewish city.
But here the story gets more complicated.

As @ArielliNir writes, Jews & Arabs "in Palestine exhibited remarkable solidarity when the air raids began." Arab mayor of Jaffa attended funeral for Jewish victims. Arabic daily "Filastin" blasted "criminal Italian bombardment of Tel Aviv."
researchgate.net/publication/23…

The Mufti had influence in Palestine - but not near as much as you'd think from accounts that make him synomous with Palestinian Arabs.
In May 1940, acc. to a British intelligence report, Mufti's followers were urging a new revolt in Palestine.
But there was no revolt.

Earlier in 1940, acc to another document in MI5 files, Mufti sent instructions that "Palestinian Arabs were not to volunteer to serve with the British forces."

But many Palestinian Arabs did join British army, as Mustafa Ahmad Abbasi has written.
researchgate.net/publication/32…

Overall, fewer Arabs than Jews from Palestine joined British Army during WWII. Clearly, Jews had high motivation to fight Nazis. But also, acc. to June 1942 British report, "Arab recruiting unsatisfactory owing to failure to reach requisite physical standard."

I leave it others to research why Palestinian Arabs were in poorer health than Jews. But Palestinian politics were complex, and quoting Mufti is a poor way to know what Palestine's Arabs thought.
#War_of_Shadows