Bassam Abu Sharif (Jerusalem 1946) is considered one of the leaders of “Fatah.” He worked as an advisor to Arafat and one of the founders of the Popular Front. He was removed from the position of advisor by Abbas after the death of Arafat.

In a lengthy television interview with the “Hiwar” channel (October 2022), he revealed secrets and issued accusations against several parties, but he avoided delving into more serious matters, and all of this recommends him more than others to respond to what was said by my friend, the pilot captain and journalist Sami Al-Nisf, the former Minister of Information, from serious accusations against the Palestinian leaders, especially against Amin Al-Husseini, and President Yasser Arafat.

Al-Nisf mentioned that Yasser Arafat avoided, throughout his life, talking about his biography, his origin, his beginnings, and his relationship with Amin al-Husseini, the other mysterious figure in modern Palestinian history. According to Al-Nisf’s account, Al-Husseini, who was known as the Mufti of Jerusalem, was not originally a cleric. Rather, Herbert Samuel, the ruler of Palestine, called from Sudan, where he was working as an informant, and asked him to take off his suit and put on the robe and turban and made him the Mufti of Jerusalem, in place of his brother Kamel Al-Husseini who had died!

Figure

Omar Amin was no more than 23 when he became a mufti. Rather, the authority sought to strengthen him more, appointing him as head of the Supreme Islamic Council, and he was given the right to manage the Palestinian endowments, and he became the most powerful and important figure.

Al-Husseini contributed to the failure of every project put forward by Britain, starting with the proposal of the Peel Committee, which gave the Palestinians an independent state on 90% of the land of Palestine, and the failure of all other future plans, insisting on the principle of everything or nothing, and this enabled the Jews, with time to obtain the lion’s share of the lands of Palestine.

Al-Husseini also had a role in disposing or selling Palestinian lands to the Jews, and this is proven, indirectly, in the book of the Palestinian researcher, Tayseer Kamila, which he wrote based on British documents, with the aim of discrediting the king of the Emirate of Transjordan, Abdullah. However, the documents included, often without the researcher’s intent, what condemns Amin al-Husseini for mediating the sale of land to the Jews.

Al-Husseini also sought to get rid of a number of Palestinian leaders under the excuse of “treason”, and the number of those assassinated by secret organizations affiliated with him, such as the Black Hand and the Black Shirts, reached nearly 6,000 Palestinians, especially during the unrest of 1936-1939, including Ahmad Hassan Dajani and Ragheb Al-Nashashibi , while the number of Palestinians killed by British forces and Jews did not exceed 1,200.

Intentions

Al-Nisf evidenced his doubts about al-Husseini’s intentions by the fact that the latter stood with Hitler in World War II, met him, and recruited Muslims to fight with him. Despite this, Britain, which emerged victorious from the war did not attack him, but honored him and made him a role model in the 1948 war and its aftermath.

He sought to encourage the Palestinians to leave their lands, taking advantage of what happened in the “Deir Yassin” massacre, exaggerating the event, although the massacre was to be expected in a “civil war” between two parties, similar to what happened at the hands of Arab mujahedeen in Jewish settlements.

Al-Husseini’s calls were a reason for 200,000 Palestinians to leave their homes and live in camps in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and some of them are still there. He also asked the Arab countries not to naturalize the Palestinians.

Al-Nisf added that the Jewish movement was “one opinion” throughout its quest to establish its state, while the Palestinian voice was dispersed, and the reason was in large part due to Al-Husseini’s positions.

Captain Al-Nisf concludes by saying that Arafat was handed over the “torch” from Al-Husseini, and continued to make the wrong decisions throughout his “rule”!

email: [email protected]

By Ahmad alsarraf