Text of a leaflet distributed by the Communist Party of Palestine on the occasion of British Lord Balfour’s 1925 visit.

‘Against the English-Zionist Occupation of Palestine’ by the Communist Party of Palestine from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 5 No. 33. April 16, 1925.

To all Workers and Fellahin!

English imperialism is becoming continually more insolent and unashamed, and the history of English rule in the colonies is on a level with that of the sea pirates who have robbed hundreds of countries and thousands of people.

During the war English imperialism stirred up the Arabian masses against the Turks, and now the war has ended with the victory of English imperialism, it has rewarded the Jewish financial magnates with the “Balfour Declaration”, which promised the founding of a Zionist State in Palestine. At the same time, however, the imperialist robbers concluded three contradictory treaties: 1) with Hussein against the French and the Zionists; 2) with the French against the Arabs, and finally 3) with the Zionists against the French and the Arabs. It is this imperialist chaos which is the cause of the continuous hostilities, of the hate and the discontent and the successful suppression in the Arabian countries.

In order to secure their power and to justify themselves. before all three parties, the English imperialists sought by every means to divert the attention of the masses from their true enemy imperialism; they set one portion of the population against the other, organised revolts, incited wars and plotted pogroms. As a result, innocent blood is being shed on the altar of European imperialism.

In Palestine an attempt is being made to wipe out the revolutionary movement. By means of betrayers of the people the nationalist movement has been split up. Communists are arrested, brutally beaten, and condemned and expelled from the country. Workers’ clubs are closed and prohibited and meetings of workers dispersed.

There remained only one thing for English imperialism to do in order to show to the world that “England is mighty” and that “imperialism pays no heed to the opinion and the feelings of the native population”. And for this purpose it decided to send Lord Balfour to Palestine. Balfour, the symbol of imperialist fraud, the symbol of the occupation of Palestine by the English, was sent to Palestine.

The visit of Balfour to Palestine means a blow in the face of the whole of the population of the country in general and of the Arab nationalist movement in particular. But who rejoices at the arrival of Balfour? Nobody but a handful of Zionist bourgeois, who are arranging such a big set out that one could really believe that the whole of the Jewish population was celebrating the visit of the “great Lord”.

But this is a mistake!

In the name of the class-conscious Jewish workers we raise the sharpest protest against the handful of Zionists who wish to connect the fate of the Jewish masses with the name of the blood-thirsty imperialist bands of robbers. The Jewish working masses of all countries, as well as those of Palestine, have nothing in common with the corrupt imperialist world and its representatives. The Jewish people, which for centuries suffered under the double yoke of suppression and slavery, fully realises that its emancipation cannot come through the enslavement of others, whoever they may be, and certainly not through the English-Zionist occupation of Palestine.

The Jewish working masses know that for them as well as for all other working masses, there is only one way out, that of self-emancipation, which can only be realised by the international proletarian revolution which will break the capitalist chains, shatter the imperialist rule, annihilate the robber bands and, in brotherly union with all the suppressed masses, will establish a new free society the communist society, in which there will be neither masters nor slaves, neither despots nor the victims of despotism.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Palestine protests in the name of the class-conscious Arabian and Jewish comrades against the sinister designs of the Arabian Executive Committee of the nationalist movement, indicated in their decisions regarding Lord Balfour’s visit to Palestine, which can be regarded as a threat of a pogrom. This blind fanatical incitement of one people against another must be put a stop to once for all! Pogroms must not be tolerated! It is not pogroms against the Jews which will liberate the country, but the revolt of the whole of the oppressed against the rulers.

The Communist Party of Palestine regards Lord Balfour’s visit as the symbol of imperialism and declares this arrival of Balfour to be a provocation on the part of the English government, which wishes to challenge the population of Palestine in order to create the possibility of finally settling with the people of Palestine, who dare to cry out when they are beaten.

The Communist Party of Palestine appeals to all Jewish workers: beware of the new English-Zionist adventure! Do not be blind tools in the hands of the chauvinists! Do not take any part in the celebrations in connection with the visit of the imperialist lord. Do not take part in the Zionist demonstrations! Imperialism is the cause of war, pogroms, suppression and bloodshed, but it brings no salvation.

Arab Workers, Fellahin and honest Citizens!

The English wish to provoke you to pogroms in order to show to the world that the Arabs are savages who organise pogroms and therefore need education the English mandate.

Do not let yourselves be led astray by blind chauvinist incitement! Every conflict with the police, every collision with the English government weakens the authority of imperialism in Europe as well as in the colonies, but every pogrom, every dispute among the population of our country only strengthens the power, consolidates the authority of and the confidence in the foreign imperialist “protectors”. Every class-conscious worker should bear this in mind!

Demonstrate for the unity of the broad masses of Arab and Jewish working masses. The Jewish and Arab workers should march, not with the Zionist bourgeoisie against the poor masses, not with the fanatical feudals, but in brotherly unity hand in hand in a common fight against their class enemies, under the banner of the Communist Party.

Down with imperialism!
Down with the Balfour Declaration!
Down with the fanatical Feudals!
Down with the Zionist adventurers!
Long live the united proletariat of Palestine!
Long live the free, united, independent workers and Fellahin Federation of all Arabian countries!
Long live the international proletarian revolution and its leader, the Communist International!
Long live the Communist Party of Palestine!

The Central Committee of the C.P. of Palestine (Section of the Communist International).

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/inprecor/1925/v05n33-apr-16-1925-inprecor.pdf