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intellectuals of the period. they recognized and acknowledged the ad-
versity that the Jews faced, both historically and at present, especially
in europe, and respected them for persevering and maintaining their
distinct identity (whether they viewed it as racial, religious, or both).
Indeed, they saw the Jews as a model to be emulated. at the same time,
in their respect for the Jews’ success in the face of adversity, these arab
intellectuals also discerned reason to fear the Jews, not least because
of the Jews’ renewed interest in achieving sovereignty in palestine. For
many of palestine’s al-Muqtaṭaf,al-Hilāl, and al-Manārreaders, the lat-
ter factor— the fear of Jews and their power and ambitions— came, as
time progressed, to outweigh the former— the sense of kinship, sympa-
thy, and respect. Yet the prominence of the perception of commonality
at this early stage of encounter necessarily cautions us against project-
ing far back into this period the deep, seemingly impermeable divisions
that developed later.