Two Proclamation Posters.

The British Mandatory authorities' first response to the 1929 riots, featuring a sweeping accusation against the Arabs for initiating the violence (an accusation they retracted just hours later).

In his statement, High Commissioner John Robert Chancellor (1870 – 1952) places direct blame on the Arabs for the outbreak of the 1929 riots:
'I have returned from the United Kingdom to find to my distress the country in a state of disorder and a prey to unlawful violence. I have learned with horror of the atrocious acts committed by bodies of ruthless and bloodthirsty evil-doers, of savage murders perpetrated upon defenceless members of the Jewish population regardless of age or sex, accompanied, as at Hebron, by acts of unspeakable savagery, of the burning of farms and houses in town and country and of the looting and destruction of property. These crimes have brought upon their authors the execration of all civilised peoples throughout the world...'

At the same time, the Mandatory authorities immediately suspended all Arab newspapers, holding them responsible for incitement to violence and public disorder. This unusually sharp public statement, directed squarely at the Arab population, provoked fury among Arab leaders toward High Commissioner Chancellor. Within hours, under mounting pressure, Chancellor wrote to the British government, urging it to reconsider — or even withdraw entirely — its commitment to Zionism. In his private correspondence, he referred to the Balfour Declaration as a 'colossal blunder'. A few days later he issued a second statement in which he retracted his earlier firm words and announced that an investigation would be conducted into the conduct of both sides. This led to the setting up of the Shaw Commission of Enquiry, led by Sir Walter Shaw.

If you are interested in the Shaw Commission of Enquiry report, please see stock no.116330.

Two original posters, printed in black ink (43 x 34 cm); text in Hebrew and English; light staining, small marginal tears and folding marks.