File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎142r] (292/834)

125
THE REFUGEES FROM ES-SALT.
o '^ as occ upi e d by our troops on the morning of
. ""'f'-'- fzrch 24. On Friday, the 29th, it was decided that
m v 'T. of developments of the military situation elsewhere we
must bring our occupation to an end before the enemy forces in
the neighbourhood could be disposed of. On the following day
the inhabitants were warned of our intention and invited to with
draw westwards should they fear for their lives in the certain
event of a I urkish reoccupation. The exodus began to a small
extent the same night about 9 p.m., but not in great numbers
till the evening of Easter Sunday, and it went on till late on the
Monday, our troops evacuating at 7 p.m. that day. The refugee
families mostly went down to the Jordan on foot, comparatively
tew having any animals, and, so far as is known, they were not
molested on the road. At the Ghoraniyah Bridge-head and
Jericho they were almost all picked up by lorries and conveyed
up the long ascent to Jerusalem. Before this exodus, Armenian
refugees, to the number of just over 1,600 souls, found by our
troops in Salt, had already made their way to Jerusalem, having,
not unnaturally, taken earlier advantage of their freedom. They,
therefore, should not be reckoned among those whose exile was
occasioned by our withdrawal.
The rest, the native inhabitants, who took refuge in Jerusalem,
number over 4,000. In addition, some hundreds, mostly of the
richer class, Avhich possessed animals, had made their own way to
Bethlehem and Hebron. These are largely Moslem, and as they
are fending for themselves, they are not included among the
refugees for whom we shall provide. Of the latter, collected in
Jerusalem, only 278 are Moslems, being, in the main, dependents
or adherents of three chiefs who had taken an active part on our
side during the occupation and felt themselves too seriously
compromised to await the return of Turks, accompanied, in all
probability, by some of their natural enemies, the Circassians of
Ain Sir and Amman. The balance, amounting to 3,871, consists of
Christians of .all denominations, including a few European Sisters
of the Rosary and the like. Roughly speaking, they represent
immediate district.
The actual figures,
supplied
from Jerusalem, are:
Men.
Women.
Children.
Total.
Greek Orthodox
332
548
1,076
1,956
Greek Catholic
83
92
286
461
Syrian Orthodox
38
96
83
217
Latin Catholic
156
258
506
920
Protestants
63
68
186
317
672
1,062
2,137
3,871
Christians and Moslems alike are a handsome folk of Arab
physical type, and few present any appearance of having been