'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎22r] (48/294)

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Trans-Jordan and actually entered the net laid for him by the 16th Brigade.
Unfortunately Arab feeling was now running high again as a result of these
military activities and the High Commissioner, fearing a renewal of
rebellion, issued orders for a cessation and three days later further
rounding-up operations were cancelled.. Pauzi returned in somewhat
triumphant style to Iraq, while his follov/ers with arms intact went back
to their homes. The period which followed resembled an armed truce ratner
than capitulation.
The close of 1956
yith the dispersal of the bands unhampered by military action, a
reduction of the garrison becarae possible. The units from agypt started
to return at the end of October, and on the 4tn November one Laurentic
left with the first of the Emergency Force Troops. The R.A.F. reinforce
ments had left by November the 9th, and after that troops sailed for
England as fast as transports could be made available. The majority
were successful in reaching home again for Christmas, except for the And.
Infantry Brigade and certain HQ troops which were destined to stay a
further year in Palestine.
So far as the enemy were concerned, the Higher Committee, against^
strong military advice, was left free to continue its subversive activi
ties for nearly another year until at last it became necessary remove
its members from the country and to declare it ana its subsidiaries illegal
organizations. "With it went the iauf ci of Jerusarem who fi^.d uO ^yria
in female disguise, his epitaph being spoken by the Secretary of State
for the Colonies in the House of Commons in October 1957, when he stated
that the Mufti throughout his whole tenure of office - 16 years - had
worked continuously against British interests. For the remainder some
1700 Arabs were convicted out of about 2700 arrested for crimes arising
out of the rebellion. Of the perpetrators of the 260 murders which had
been reported during the year, 67 had been convicted and 17 more were
still awaiting trial. In only a very few cases had the death sentence
been imposed, and in none was it ever carried out.
On the 11 th November the Royal Commission arrived in Jerusalem to
start its labours, and with its coming the rebellion can oe^ said to have
reached its end. Its course may be compared to a fire which had
smouldered for years before it suddenly burst spontaneously into flame
on the 19th April. Fanned by the Mufti and his Higher Committee, the
flames spread rapidly and increased in intensity. The fire had almost
burnt out by the time the Fire Brigade arrived to put the finishing
touches in September.