IMAGInInG ThE “ISrAElITES” • 167to Jerusalem and its surroundings” but also of their intentions to
“evict the Muslims and Christians from that holy land and to leave
them with nothing.” the Jews have sought to accomplish this mass
eviction of Palestine’s natives— identified, significantly, in religious
categories— by “cutting off the means of livelihood” from non- Jews.
Because of the financial assistance of the Jews’ political and philan-
thropic organizations, Jews are able to work, rida claims, at lower
prices than non- Jews, and thus exclude Christians and Muslims from
the workforce.^110
rida again addresses the question he expected to be on readers’
minds: will the Jews succeed in their ambition of “restoring their do-
minion” in Palestine? To the disappointment, no doubt, of his readers
in Palestine, the Qurʾanic verse under analysis in this issue of al-Manār
leaves such an eventuality as an open question. “the verse neither con-
firms nor denies it,” rida explains, though there are numerous factors
militating against the realization of the Jews’ goals, especially those he
had already mentioned in his earlier commentaries: “they are scattered
and consumed with their money in all countries,” and they lack “abil-
ities in war and agriculture.” Nonetheless, insists rida, Jews “believe
with religious faith that they will eventually establish sovereignty in
the holy Land.”^111 In other words, while this Qurʾanic verse lacks as-
surances of the ultimate success or failure of Zionism, Jews themselves
are certain, with religious faith, that they will eventually achieve their
aims. Because of this religious certainty, and the Jews’ consequent de-
cisive moves toward achieving their Zionist ambitions, Ottoman citi-
zens must take the threat seriously. the Jews “have already amassed
a great deal of money” for these purposes, writes rida, who concludes
his commentary on the Qurʾanic phrase with this exhortation: “the
Ottomans must not give them [the Jews] power over palestine, nor
should they facilitate their purchase of its land and their mass immigra-
tion to it.” this movement represents “a great danger,”^112 insists rida,
“as we have recently warned in the exegesis of the previous verses.”^113
(^110) al-Manār 13:11 (December 1910), 806. It is typically assumed that Jewish immi-
grant laborers demanded higher wages than palestine’s non- Jewish population. If this
particular aspect of rida’s accusation is correct, i.e., if Jews were indeed working for
lower pay than their non- Jewish neighbors in Palestine, this would require a significant
revision of the commonly held views of the economic relations between Zionists and
Arabs in the late Ottoman period. On labor issues during this period, see Shafir, Land,
Labor,andtheOriginsoftheIsraeli-PalestinianConflict,1882–1914.
(^111) al-Manār, 13:11 (December 1910), 806.
(^112) khaṭarankabīran. Cf. the term used by ha-Ḥerut to describe the anti- Zionist press in
palestine and beyond (ha-sakanahha-gedolah).
(^113) al-Manār 13:11 (December 1910), 806.