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| 14:04 08/13/2009 |
 | Untold Story of The King-Crane Commission |
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| King and Crane also took into consideration the status of holy sites in Palestine. |
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By Tammy Obeidallah
'Down
with American Imperialists.' This sign, or one of its variations, can
be seen at protests and demonstratons throughout the world. U.S.
policies have given credence to it, fueling legitimate hatred in
countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and others victimized by
America’s lust for oil and support of the Israeli military juggernaut.
Yet less than 100 years ago, the United States was admired in the global
arena as a bastion of justice and freedom. Furthermore, Zionism—the
belief that all Jews are entitled to a “homeland” in Palestine—was
condemned in an official document.
The King-Crane Commission is
relatively unknown, buried under a century of Zionist propaganda and
attempts to discredit Dr. Henry Churchill King and Charles R. Crane as
Nazi sympathizers. On the contrary, Dr. King was one of the best known
educators of his time and served as the director of religious work for
the YMCA in France. Mr. Crane was selected as part of a special
diplomatic mission to Russia and was U.S. Ambassador to Chinafrom
1920-1921. In 1919, after World War I and the break-up of the Ottoman
Empire, President Woodrow Wilson apppointed King and Crane to head the
Inter-Allied Commission on Mandates in Turkey.
King and Crane’s
mission was to record the wishes of the people in the former Ottoman
territories regarding their desired form of government and the degree to
which outside intervention would be accepted. President Woodrow
Wilson’s July 4, 1918 address provided the backdrop for their objective:
“The
settlement of every question, whether of territory, of sovereignty, of
economic arrangement, or of political relationship upon the basis of the
free acceptance of that settlement by the people immediately concerned
and not upon the basis of the material interest or advantage of any
other nation or people which may desire a different settlement for the
sake of its own exterior influence or mastery.”
It was in this
spirit that King and Crane had embarked on their 42-day tour of Syria,
Lebanon, Palestine, Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Asia Minor. The commission
conducted conferences throughout the region, gathering opinions on such
topics as territorial limits, independence, form of government, choice
of mandate and Zionism.
The King and Crane Commission examined
responses from religious, political and social/economic organizations
and found overwhelming support among the Muslim population in Syria for
an American mandate, as opposed to Britain or France, should it be
determined that the fledgling government needed external assistance. The
reasoning behind this preference was summarized in the final report as
“…the nearly universal recognition of the fact that America sought no
additional territory…” Article 4 of the General Syrian Congress,
convened that same summer in Damascus, supported their finding:
“…And
desiring that our country should not fall a prey to colonization and
believing that the American Nation is farthest from any thought of
colonization and has no political ambition in our country, we will seek
the technical and economic assistance from the United States of
America…”
While there was some disagreement in the territories as
to the choice of mandate, there was nearly universal opposition to
Zionism. The General Syrian Congress unanimously passed articles
opposing partitioning Palestine from the rest of Syria. Leaders at that
time grasped all too well the strategy of “divide and conquer”; they
also understood the Zionist ambitions of setting aside Palestine as
future Jewish state.
Prior to their journey, King and Crane had
been lobbied by pro-Zionist groups and were, by their own admission,
“pre-disposed in its favor.” However, during conferences with local
Jewish representatives, it became apparent that their goal was the
“practically complete dispossession of the present non-Jewish
inhabitants of Palestine by various forms of purchase.”
Further
investigation revealed something far more sinister than acquiring the
land by mere “purchase.” Statements made by British officials increased
the commissioners’ misgivings about the entire Zionist project. In their
final recommendations, King and Crane wrote:
“No British officer,
consulted by the Commissioners, believed that the Zionist program could
be carried out except by force of arms. The officers generally thought
that a force of not less than 50,000 soldiers would be required even to
initiate the program … Decisions requiring armies to carry out, are
sometimes necessary. But they are surely not gratuitously to be taken in
the interest of a serious injustice.”
King and Crane also took
into consideration the status of holy sites in Palestine: “The places
which are most sacred to Christians—those having to do with Jesus—and
which are also sacred to Moslems, are not only not sacred to Jews, but
abhorrent to them.” The Commissioners went on to reason that it was
neither logical nor prudent to place these most holy sites in the
control of a Jewish authority.
Finally, King and Crane concluded
that the implementation of the Zionist plan would be contrary to the
aforementioned principle outlined by President Wilson, whereby nations
have a right to self-determination free from external pressure.
Nine-tenths of the population surveyed, including Muslim and Christian
groups, were against Zionism. Their final recommendation read “…This
would have to mean that Jewish immigration should be definitely limited,
and that the project for making Palestine distinctly a Jewish
commonwealth should be given up.”
It is nothing short of tragic
that in the 90 years since the King-Crane Commission, subsequent
American leaders have abandoned the principles which led President
Wilson to embark on that diplomatic effort in the first place. The
common sense and mutually beneficial policy of non-intervention was
rejected in favor of big oil and strategic interests. The opportunity to
forge an allegiance with emerging governments eager for freedom and
self-determination was squandered in favor of the perpetrators of ethnic
cleansing and genocide, from Deir Yassin to Lebanon to Gaza. And
America will continue to pay the price.
(The entire King-Crane Commission Report can be read here.)
- Tammy Obeidallah contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. |
| If you like this article, please consider making a contribution to the Palestine Chronicle. |
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