Arab Executive Committee

Arab Executive Committee
Name	Arab Executive Committee
Formation	1936
Dissolved	c.1945
Headquarters	Jerusalem
Region served	Mandatory Palestine
Predecessor	Supreme Muslim Council
Successor	Arab Higher Committee
Leaders	Amin al-Husayni, Jamal al-Husseini

Arab Executive Committee was a political body formed in Mandatory Palestine in 1936 to coordinate nationalist activity among Palestinian Arabs during the interwar period. It emerged amid mass protests, strikes, and communal tensions that attracted attention from the British Mandate for Palestine, leaders of the Yishuv, and neighboring Arab League and regional capitals such as Cairo and Damascus. The committee sought to represent urban notable families, religious leaders, and political activists in negotiations, protests, and international appeals concerning the future of Palestine.

Background and Formation

The committee arose in the context of rising opposition to British policy in Palestine, growing immigration linked to the Zionist movement, and disputes following the Balfour Declaration and subsequent Mandate for Palestine administration. Major disturbances like the 1929 Jerusalem riots and the growth of organizations such as the Haganah and Irgun heightened communal polarization. In April 1936, a general strike and widespread demonstrations led Palestinian notable figures and nationalist activists to form an interim body to coordinate the strike, petition the League of Nations, and liaise with leaders such as Haj Amin al-Husseini and members of the Nashashibi and Husseini families. Delegations were sent to regional capitals, including Cairo and Baghdad, and appeals were made to pan-Arab institutions like the Arab League and personalities such as King Abdullah I of Jordan.

Membership and Structure

The committee comprised prominent Palestinian urban elites, rural notable peers, and religious figures drawn from notable clans and municipal leaderships in cities such as Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, and Nablus. Leading personalities included members of the al-Husayni family and associates of Haj Amin al-Husseini. The body operated alongside existing institutions such as the Supreme Muslim Council and municipal councils, and it coordinated with political formations like the Democratic Reform Party and local branches of the Palestine Arab Party. Organizationally, the committee formed subcommittees to handle finance, communications, and liaison with foreign missions and local leaderships, and it used newspapers and publishing outlets in Beirut and Cairo to disseminate manifestos.

Political Activities and Positions

The committee articulated positions opposing Jewish immigration policies endorsed by the British government and rejecting proposals such as the Peel Commission partition plan. It advocated for restrictions on land transfers to Jewish Agency for Palestine and for Arab national rights in Palestine, appealing to bodies like the League of Nations and seeking support from leaders including King Faisal I’s successors and the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. The committee issued statements, coordinated strikes, and organized boycotts targeting institutions seen as implementing policies of the British Mandate or facilitating Aliyah from Europe. It also engaged with international actors such as delegations to the United Nations precursor forums and maintained contacts with anti-colonial networks in Cairo, Damascus, and Beirut.

Relations with Other Arab and Jewish Organizations

Relations were varied: with Palestinian grassroots groups, the committee coordinated general strikes and communal defense initiatives alongside factions such as rural notable leaders and urban activists. Ties to the Supreme Muslim Council and figures like Ibrahim al-Khalidi were significant, while rivalries with families like the Nashashibi produced competing representative claims. The committee confronted organizations within the Yishuv including the Jewish Agency for Palestine, Histadrut, and Haganah in dispute and negotiation. Regionally, it sought backing from the Arab Higher Committee, Arab League, and monarchies of Transjordan and Iraq, while also encountering differing perspectives from movements in Syria and Lebanon.

Role in the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt

During the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt in Palestine, the committee played a central coordinating role in the early phase of the uprising, organizing strikes, demonstrations, and political appeals. It acted as an interlocutor for rebel demands, issued communiqués, and attempted to marshal support from urban and rural constituencies across districts including Jaffa, Jerusalem District, Galilee, and the Jenin area. The committee’s leadership faced British suppression measures such as arrests, deportations, and bans; key figures were targeted under emergency regulations, and the committee’s capacity was undermined by counterinsurgency operations conducted by British Army units and auxiliary police forces. The revolt prompted the Peel Commission inquiry and later the Woodhead Commission, both of which addressed questions the committee had raised about territorial governance and demographic change.

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Historians assess the committee’s legacy in debates about Palestinian national organization, leadership rivalry, and anti-colonial mobilization. Some scholars link its formation and actions to the consolidation of nationalist institutions culminating in later entities such as the Arab Higher Committee and post-1948 political formations in Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Critiques emphasize limitations stemming from elite composition, internecine rivalries with families like the Nashashibi and external pressures from the British government and regional monarchies, while other assessments highlight its role in articulating nationalist claims before international forums including the League of Nations and influencing Palestinian political culture in cities like Hebron and Beersheba. Its activities remain central to studies of interwar Palestine, colonial policy, and the trajectory of Arab–Jewish relations through the mid-20th century.

Category:Organizations based in Mandatory Palestine