____________________________________________ 2 IICC Perspectives The Arab Issues 1929-1945 The stated goal of the Political Department was to foster friendly relations with the Arab population. However, the violence against the Yishuv (in 1921 and 1929) made it clear that there was a dire need for a defense apparatus with intelligence-gathering capabilities. This mechanism, subordinate to Kisch and Ben-Zvi, monitored "open sources," such as the Arab press in Palestine and beyond. Following the riots of 1929, a "news service" was established. It was later known as the Shai (Hebrew acronym for Information Service). It had developed into a HUMIN office Handlin human assets. To map its recruitment targets, a detailed card index was prepared, which the end of the 1930s, consisted of some 800 names of Arabs and Muslims in Palestine and neighboring countries. In addition, ongoing monitoring was conducted to expose belligerent intentions and preparations. For this purpose, operatives tapped the phones of Arab leaders, mainly the Arab Executive Committee and the Mufti Hajj Amin al-Husseini. Arlosorov, who replaced Kisch, initially believed that an agreement could be reached with the Arab national movement; he held meetings with leaders such as Gha'eb Nashashibi, who was the mayor of Jerusalem, and Awni Abd al-Hadi, who was a leader in the Al-Istiqlal party. The Political Department produced intelligence materials regarding the Mufti's preparations for an Islamic Conference in Jerusalem and his overall hostility to Zionism and the British. To meet this challenge, the Arab Bureau of the Political Department published brochures in Arabic introducing the Zionist movement and its goals. However, Arlosorov's efforts vis-à-vis the British and foreign consuls to generate opposition to the conference were unsuccessful. In December 1931, a conference was convened with the participation of 130 representatives from the Muslim world, at which the Mufti presented the Zionist settlement as a threat to the holy sites of Islam. Like his predecessors, Sharett believed in dialogue with the Arabs and expanded his activities beyond Palestine. In addition to Aharon Haim Cohen (who operated disguised as an Arab), in 1943, Sharett recruited Reuven Zaslani (Shiloah) and Eliyahu Epstein (Eilat), who were students at the American University of Beirut and reported to Jerusalem. In 1934, the Arabic-language expert Eliyahu Sasson was recruited to lead intelligence and political issues among the Arabs. Following the Department's PIR , journalist Nahum Wilensky reported from Cairo on Egypt and even set up a news bureau, "The Eastern Agency," with materials provided by Jerusalem. Still, the recruitment and work methods were not orderly, and the number of employees was not made public. Eliyahu Sasson, Head of the Arab Division, at the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, (Wikipedia)
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