File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎176v] (361/834)

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nominee. He was turned out again five years later; but had a
second and briefer tenure of power m his old age, after the
assassination of the present Kings uncle, Husein, at Jiddah
in 1880.
Arab Commission in Palestine. . .
A small mission, consisting of three prominent Syrians
resident in Egypt, has been allowed to spend a few days ui
Palestine, in order that it might visit Jerusalem and Jalta,
acquaint itself with the actual political and economic state of the
Arab-speaking population, and report to us on its principal needs.
It was given every facility by our military authoiities and it
seems to have been well received. It found Jaffa, of course,
troubled with more serious economic problems than Jerusalem,
where the questions at issue are mainly political. At the latter
place it was occupied with combating the very natural
apprehension felt about Jewish aims, which even the careful and
moderate speeches of Dr. Weizmann have not robbed of their
terrors. At Jaffa the same apprehensions were added to jealousy
of Jewish trade, and the economic problem presented by the
irrigation and maintenance of the town s staple culture, oianges.
The members of the Mission believe that their visit has had a
calming elfect on public opinion ; and they are proposing to our
administration various remedial and subventive measures, through
which they think, present distress and commercial embarrassment
may be tided over, and the Arab-speaking population may get a
fair chance from the opening of the next agricultural season.
Proposed Slierifian Mission.
The delegates sent to Cairo by King Husein at our request,
and intended to proceed to Persia, Turkestan and the Caucasus, are
to return to Hejaz, the conditions in the countries of their
destination being reported unfavourable at present for the
prosecution of the mission.
Abyssinia.
The revolt against the Council of Ministers, reported on
p. 114, was directed by the lesser officers and supported by all the
troops in Adis Abeba. The officers pointed out that the country
was lapsing into chaos and that the Ministers were merely
enriching themselves at the expense of the public, and they
demanded the abolition of the ministerial posts, the arrest of
the individual ministers and an examination of their accounts.
The Empress and Ras Taffari submitted to these demands,
and the ministers, with the exception of the Fitaurari, were
arrested and deported to their private lands, being allowed to
take only thirty followers each and to appoint representatives to
go into their accounts. The Army further insisted that the
Empress and the Regent, with Fitaurari Hapta Giorgis as
adviser, should take over the sole responsibility of the
Government. For the time being all is quiet, but there are as
yet uo signs of reconstruction or reform.