Rift Between Moslem and Christian Arabs Increasing

The rift between the Moslem and Christian Arabs which has steadily widened and was aggravated by the Government’s sentencing Subhi Kahdra to a year’s exile at Safed, has caused the Grand Mufti to seek the help of outsiders in an effort to heal the breach. Ryadh Solah, member of the Palestine-Syrian delegation, has been invited by the Mufti to come to Jerusalem to assist in bringing about a reconciliation.

Falastin, Arab paper, today criticizes the Mufti’s part within the Arab Executive for instituting an inquiry regarding charges made against Omar Saleh, one of the three secretaries of the Arab executive, who was accused of divulging to the police the proclamation calling for a general strike on August 23, the first anniversary of the Palestine riots. For being the author of the proclamation Subhi Kahdra, manager of the Arab Executive’s office, was exiled to Safed for a year and ordered to deposit a sum of money as security for his good behavior.

Falastin is demanding new elections to the Arab Executive, saying that the present Executive has failed to check the growing dissension in the Moslem-Christian Arab ranks. Al Yarmuk, on the other hand, urges the “best sons” to declare a holy war against Zionism and imperialism.

The trouble between the Moslem and Christian Arabs arose when Jamal Bakhri, editor of the Christian-Arab paper, Al Zamer, was killed in a street fight between Moslem and Christian Arabs over the possession of an old cemetery. Following this fatality the Haifa Y. M. C. A. decided to form a separate All-Christian Union refusing all contact with the Moslems. The Christian Arab women seceded from the Haifa Arab Women’s Association and formed their own group. Later the Christian Arabs repulsed all overtures of the Arab Executive, declined to receive a Moslem peace delegation and refused an offer of $10,000 indemnity which the Haifa Waqf offered to the murdered man’s family.