Alternative Voices in Late Ottoman Palestine: A Historical Note

Abstract

This paper is based on parts of my larger dissertation project, which focuses on Jerusalem in the transition period between Ottoman and Mandatory rules, between the years 1912-1920. In the course of this research, I ‘met’ several figures that intrigued me, and were the inspiration for further investigations into these individuals’ roles, positions and ‘locations’ in the historical narrative of late Ottoman Palestine. These unheard, alternative voices have never ‘made it’ to the front stage of history or the historical narrative of the Jewish-Arab conflict. This paper, then, is an attempt to “give voice” to these people, who presented an alternative view regarding the evolving national conflict of the time. By presenting these figures, I am seeking to break the nationally-based dichotomies that are so prevalent in today’s research and debates.