In response to the fallout from 1929’s ‘Arab Revolt’ in Palestine, the British Labour Government of Ramsay MacDonald issues The Passfield White Paper in 1930. Named for Colonial Secretary Lord Passfield (Sidney Webb) it was an official statement of British policy in the Mandate and limited Zionist immigration. While straining relations with the Zionists and placating the Empire’s Arab compradors, the League Against Imperialism warns that nothing fundamental in imperialism’s approach has changed.

‘Appeal to the Oppressed Masses of the Arab People and to All Fighters for the National Independence of the Arabian Countries’ by the League Against Imperialism from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 10 No. 51. November 13, 1930.

MacDonald’s Hypocritical Palestine Declaration.

Berlin, 1st November 1930. The imperialist Powers who have bent you under their yoke feel that their position as rulers is more and more threatened. The present economic crisis is shaking the foundation of their power in their own countries and with it their rule in the colonies. In order to dam the revolutionary advance of the masses of their own working population, who are being driven to resentment by the extreme misery, by the daily growing unemployment, by the increasing poverty in the villages, they find themselves compelled to adopt measures calculated to damp down the revolutionary excitement of the oppressed masses.

In this sense British imperialism is displaying great activity. The MacDonald Government, as one of its most zealous agents, has in the course of the past twelve months undertake a number of steps in order to delude the Arab population. The Treaty with Iraq, the agreement with Ibn Saud, the publication of the White Paper on Palestine, the declaration, in which among other things the founding of the so-called “Legislative Council” is announced, and the double game with the Egyptian Constitution constitute the most important in acts this respect.

In order, however, to grasp the true meaning of these political acts you must view them as part of the total picture of the world situation and examine them in their connection. Only thus will you be able to recognise the aim which the “Labour” Cabinet is pursuing; only thus will you realise that above all it is a question of consolidating the rule of British imperialism in your country; it is only for this purpose that they are arousing the illusion of a possibility of peaceful emancipation on the basis of an agreement with the oppressors themselves. In the proclamation which we addressed to you last year after the anti-imperialist revolt of the Arab peasants of Palestine, we called attention to the role of the present government of Great Britain and warned you against those native elements who serve as an instrument of imperialist manoeuvres.

You have already had the possibility of acquiring great practical experience as to the cynicism and perfidy with which British imperialism deceives you. In 1916 you were promised an independent Arab Federation. A year later there appeared the Balfour Declaration which promised the Jews the founding of a national home in Palestine. The MacDonald government is also following this time-honoured tradition when it offers you the prospect of a legislative assembly and appears. to discard the idea of a Jewish national home. You must not doubt for a single moment that English imperialism, no matter what party may be in power, whenever its rule is endangered, will never hesitate to make use of new, hypocritical formulas in order to practice fresh deceit.

The motive which compelled the MacDonald government as representative of British imperialism to issue its last proclamation has nothing whatever to do with your ideal of freedom. Hitherto British imperialism had made use of the Zionist organisation and the lie about the “national home of the Jews” as the convenient instrument in order to get a firm footing in Palestine. In the course of the last year, however, and especially since the revolt of the peasants in Palestine, it has become apparent that this ramshackle organisation has already given what it had to give. For the new stage of British policy it is only regarded as an incumbrance.

Thus for the MacDonlad government the most favourable moment had come in order by a symbolic gesture to break the promises made to the Jews and to attempt to win back your friendship. Hence British imperialism pretended to be greatly concerned over the tragic lot of the Arab population. Even if the Zionists, Weizmann and others are raising a great outcry and demonstratively turn to the United States of America and talk of transferring the “Jewish Agency” to New York, this is only to be regarded as an unessential episode in the history of the Anglo-American imperialist rivalry. The leaders of Jewish chauvinism, no matter whether they belong to the moderate Weizmann group or to the fascist Jabotinski, are making use of this political turn in order to derive advantages for themselves.

Neither the Arab nor the Jewish proletarians, who have to suffer under the same suppression, must believe for a single moment in the sincerity of the Zionist or of the Arab leaders, who are now polemizing against the new British policy. All of you who are striving for the complete emancipation of your country from the foreign yoke, you are all aware that in the hour of the last decisive fight the Zionists as well as the Arab big landowners will fight side by side with the armed forces of England in order to repel your bold attack and to break your revolutionary èlan. At the very moment when they are flinging abuse at each other, there exists between them a tacit agreement, and even the Labour Party is conscientiously taking care not to infringe the sacred policy of the II. International which supports the Zionist movement (Vandervelde Committee) both politically and organisationally.

At bottom therefore, the tactics of pacifying the Arab countries are in all points in accordance with the interests of Jewish capital. Anglo-Jewish capital contemplates investing huge sums in building railway lines (Port Fuad-Haifa-Baghdad), a port in Haifa and a pipe line for the Mosul oil. These large-scale undertakings require the political security of the territory in which they are situated and a great number of Arab workers. Hence the “Labour” government must do everything in order to pacify the Arab peasantry by promising them the distribution of the land, and to buy at least a part of your bourgeoisie by purely formal political concessions, because they need them in order to deceive the broad masses of the workers and to keep them under their influence. You can take it as an undeniable fact that a large group of your bourgeoisie will within that caricature of a Parliament Co-operate with the well paid servants of imperialism and with the Jewish capitalists.

Oppressed and exploited masses of the Arab people! These facts must serve to open your eyes and to destroy your illusions! You must no longer expect the emancipation of your country and the improvement of your miserable lot from the initiative and activity of your national reformist leaders, who know how to harmonise their class interests with the enslavement of your country by imperialism. Their chief concern is to take advantage of the antagonisms between the imperialist Powers in order to get the greatest possible profit for their work. The promises of land with which you are lured have no other aim but to benefit the small possessing minority and to give finance capital the possibility of profitable transactions, to the great damage of the working masses who form the overwhelming majority of the nation. The best pieces of land have been grabbed by the native and Jewish agents of the foreign imperialists. If you do not finally drive the imperialist exploiters out of your country you will never be able to enjoy your due share of the wealth of the country and of the products of your labour. In your fight for the complete State independence of your country you must set up concrete and immediate aims: to drive out all the armed forces of imperialism; all the lands which have been appropriated by the imperialists and their native agents to be confiscated for the benefit of the poor and middle peasants; the railways, the ports and all the big industrial undertakings–the product of long years of arduous toil, of exhaustive work to be handed back to the Arab nation. Only when you unite in workers’ and artisans unions, in peasants’ leagues, in unions of students and intellectuals for the purpose of the anti-imperialist fight and form committees of action for independence; only when you unite all these separate movements in a common action, will you have the prospect of winning a free existence and the complete and final independence of your country.

But the emancipation of the Arab people cannot be achieved by, one-sided and isolated actions on the part of the different Arab countries. For the imperialist Powers, no matter whether England or France, will be easily able to deal with the unconnected actions following one another by defeating one and purchasing the support of others. Only by a united determined attack by all the Arab countries, supported by the solidarity of the other oppressed peoples and by the international proletariat (the most unrelenting enemy of all oppression and exploitation by imperialism) can you achieve a rapid and certain victory.

The only international organisation which establishes connection between all movements for national emancipation and State independence, the only organisation which firmly links the bonds of solidarity between these and the revolutionary movements of the international proletariat is the “League Against Imperialism”! All Arab organisations which are sincerely devoted to the idea of independence, all persons who are striving honestly for the emancipation of the Arab peoples from imperialist rule in all lands inhabited by Arabs, must therefore work hand in hand and actively co-operate in the founding of Sections of the “League Against Imperialism.” For the League has the task of uniting all —dered and isolated movements and systematically on common path. Only when you are welded, together in the iron will to shake off the foreign yoke will it be an easy matter for you, in close connection with the movements for freedom of the innumerable millions of oppressed peoples in the whole world, to frustrate all tricks and manoeuvres which are aimed at lulling your watchfulness and undermining your fighting will.

Down with the sham “Parliament” of the agents of imperialism!
Down with the treaties of concealed oppression!
Down with Jewish and Arab chauvinism which sow discord between the peoples of different nationalities!
Long live the solidarity of all oppressed Arab countries without distinction of religion or race!
Long live complete State independence!
Long live the federal Union of the Arab countries!
Long live the international fight against imperialism!

The League Against Imperialism.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecor” 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. Inprecor’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 Inprecor, 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/1930/v10n51-nov-13-1930-Inprecor-op.pdf