Sejarah Zionisme, 1600-1918/Volume 1/Bab 24

CHAPTER XXIV.

MEMORANDUM OF THE PROTESTANT MONARCHS

The London Convention of 1840—The new Treaty of London for the pacification of the Levant—Viscount Ponsonby—Reshid Pasha—Lord Shaftesbury’s “Exposé” addressed to Lord Palmerston—The articles in The Times—A Memorandum to the European Monarchs—“Enquiries about the Jews”—The Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums.

We have to go back to the political changes which we indicated in connection with Sir Moses’ activity.

After the Convention which was signed on the 15th July, 1840, in London for the pacification of the Levant, the terms were duly proposed to Mehemet Ali and were rejected on the 5th September. Then the war intervened, Mehemet Ali was obliged to come to terms, and on July 18th, 1841, the new “Treaty of London for the Pacification of the Levant” was signed. Mehemet Ali abandoned his claim to Syria on condition that the Khedivate of Egypt was made hereditary in his family. This was a turning-point of much significance in the history of Palestine. At that moment the Jews might have been able to regain their ancient land, if only they had had an organization for carrying out the plan.

The only country in the world where this idea found influential expression at the time was England. The events in the East were naturally of intense interest to Lord Shaftesbury, and stimulated him to greater activity.

He writes in his Diary, on August 24th, 1840: “The Times of 17th August filled me with astonishment. I wish I had put down at the moment what I felt at reading it; half satisfaction, half dismay; pleased to see my opinions and projects so far taken up and approved;—alarmed lest this premature disclosure of them should bring upon us all the charge of fanaticism. Now who could have believed, a few years ago, that this subject could have been treated in a newspaper of wide circulation, gravely, sincerely, and zealously, yet so it is; and who sees not the handwriting of God upon the wall? The very insults, misrepresentations, and persecutions of the Jews at Damascus bring forward the main question; and Mehemet Ali, ‘howbeit he thinketh not so,’ is a mighty instrument for the benefit of this people!

“Palmerston told me that he has already written to Lord Ponsonby (1780?‒1855) to direct him to open an intercourse with Reschid Pasha (1802‒1858) at Constantinople respecting protection and encouragement to the Jews. This is a prelude to the Antitype of the decree of Cyrus, but, humanly speaking, we must pray for more caution. Those gentlemen who have now got access to the columns of the Times will, by over-zeal, bring a charge of fanaticism on the whole question. O God, from whom alone cometh all counsel, wisdom, and understanding, be Thou our Guide, our Instructor, and our Friend” ( Ibid., p. 311).

On August 29th, 1840, he writes:—

“The newspapers teem with documents about the Jews. Many assail, and many defend them. I have as yet read nothing (except [the Rev. Alexander] M’Caul’s (1799‒1863) treatise) which exhibits any statement either new or clever. The motion of the Times in this matter has stirred up an immense variety of projects and opinions; everyone has a thought, and everyone has an interpretation. What a chaos of schemes and disputes is on the horizon, for the time when the affairs of the Jews shall be really and fully before the world! What violence, what hatred, what combination, what discussion. What a stir of every passion, every feeling in men’s hearts!...” (Ibid., p. 311).

On September 25th, 1840, he writes:—

“Yesterday began my paper for Palmerston, containing in full the propositions for the recall of the Jews to their ancient land. ‘Recall’ is too strong; it is simply a ‘permission,’ should they think fit to avail themselves of it. I wish to prepare a short document, which may refresh his memory, and exist as a record both of the suggestion and the character of it” (Ibid., p. 312).

We may confess that at times we find Lord Shaftesbury’s ideas somewhat too largely influenced by his religious zeal; yet he did succeed in mastering his emotions and dealing with the problem in a sound and statesmanlike manner. In this document of his we find not only generous ideas but also excellent arguments, simply and convincingly stated (Appendix liii).

On November 4th, 1840, he writes:—

“I hope I have done right in this: I have suppressed all party considerations, and have used every effort to persuade the Times to take just views of the Syrian question. I have been successful. Lord Palmerston told me this evening that the concurrence of the Tory papers had smoothed ten thousand difficulties....” (Ibid., p. 315).

The articles in The Times, to which Lord Shaftesbury refers, appeared in that newspaper at various periods. On the 9th March, 1840 (p. 3), The Times published the following notice:—

“Restoration of the Jews.—A memorandum has been addressed to the Protestant monarchs of Europe on the subject of the restoration of the Jewish people to the land of Palestine. The document in question, dictated by the peculiar conjuncture of affairs in the East, and the other striking ‘signs of the times,’ reverts to the original covenant which secures that land to the descendants of Abraham, and urges upon the consideration of the powers addressed what may be the probable line of Protestant Christendom to the Jewish people in the present controversy in the East. The memorandum and correspondence which has passed upon the subject have been published.”

This Memorandum (Appendix liv) is written entirely from a Christian point of view. Lord Shaftesbury, although himself a staunch believer in Christianity, was more inclined to give the project a practical character.

On the 17th August, 1840, The Times (p. 3) published the following article:—

“Syria.—Restoration of the Jews.

“The proposition to plant the Jewish people in the land of their fathers, under the protection of the five Powers, is no longer a mere matter of speculation, but of serious political consideration. In a ministerial paper of the 31st of July an article appears bearing all the characteristics of a feeler on this deeply interesting subject. However, it has been reserved for a noble Lord opposed to Her Majesty’s Ministers to take up the subject in a practical and statesmanlike manner, and he is instituting inquiries, of which the following is a copy:—

“1. What are the feelings of the Jews you meet with respect to their return to the Holy Land?

“2. Would the Jews of station and property be inclined to return to Palestine, carry with them their capital, and invest it in the cultivation of the land, if by the operation of law and justice life and property were rendered secure?

“3. How soon would they be inclined and ready to go back?

“4. Would they go back entirely at their own expense, requiring nothing farther than the assurance of safety to person and estate?

“5. Would they be content to live under the Government of the country as they should find it, their rights and privileges being secured to them under the protection of the European Powers?

“Let the answers you procure be as distinct and decided and detailed as possible: in respect as to the inquiries as to property, it will of course be sufficient that you should obtain fair proof of the fact from general report.

“The noble Lord who is instituting these inquiries has given deep attention to the matter, and is well known as the writer of an able article in the Quarterly on the subject, in December, 1838.”

The adherents of the idea of Jewish assimilation in Germany started a kind of opposition.

The Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums dealt with this matter on the 19th September, 1840, and admitted with regard to the articles in the Globe, which it described as “a London Ministerial newspaper,” that “the plans may all be classed among the things devoutly to be desired.” On the other hand, this paper quotes from the Courier Français of August 26th, 1840, a comparison between M. A. M. L. de P. de Lamartine (1790‒1869) (the poet, and at that time Deputy) and Lord Palmerston in the following words:—

“M. de Lamartine intends to form a Christian kingdom at the sources of the Jordan, and at the foot of Mount Lebanon; if only Jerusalem, the Holy City, came into the power of France, he would gladly leave the rest of the world to England and Russia. But what is odd in the whole affair is that Lord Palmerston has chosen the same spot. Where the celebrated Deputy dreams of a Christian state, Lord Palmerston projects a Jewish Republic.”

This jest caused the Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums to “protest against the project in question,” and “to warn the young people.” All we learn from this pronouncement is that the Jewish youth was at the time inclined to listen to the Zionist idea.