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Essays from a Palestinian student in 1939 

Kids Speak Out 

The Wars By Dr. Walid Kamhawi

The following two essays were written by Dr. Walid Kamhawi at age 16 when he was a student in  Al Najah School in Nablus, Palestine. The essays are printed without editing. He has held a number of prominent positions throughout his life, namely President of Al-Quds Open University,  Chairman of the Palestine National Fund in the PLO, Member of the First Executive Committee in the PLO, and Director of  a Private hospital in Nablus among other notable positions. Today he lives in Amman, Jordan.

I am not going to-night to discuss-- as you may think-- adultery, robbery, or such things which terrify man. But I wish to speak to you something about the most terrible of all the evils of the universe, the pain of which every creature suffered and is still suffering from. I mean war.

War which was and is still the cause of the troubles which overwhelm man. War which is the reason of the horrors that disturb the civilization and happiness of mankind.

Before discussing the efforts which were made to prevent wars, I must speak something about the causes of wars:

If we analyze the conditions, which preceded all wars in history, we will see that the main cause is either ambition or fear, or the two together. Nowadays there are many other causes present, and I am going to discuss the most important:

1. Nationalism; that is: countries, which are inhabited by the same race and united under one nation and government.

2. The right of self-determination.

3. The mind of man advances rapidly, in inventions and discoveries, while animal instinct in man continues to be the same as it was in the Stone Age.

4. The question of unemployment: which is as I think the most important factor. As a result to the invention of machines, which suffice the needs of work, and their wide use, millions of men were forced to become unemployed, and they had two ways to follow:

a. Forming socialist parties and disturbing every government by revolutions and demonstrations.

b. Joining the armies, not for a national motive, but to find work, so the army of every kingdom numbers to millions, and the governments are forced to declare wars against one another, to find works for these millions.

Now we come to discuss one effort, which were made to prevent wars:

Since the first war in history up to the present, soliciting for peace did not cease. We have the religious books, which invoke love and peace. In medieval ages we had Rousseau and his comrades. In the present time we had serious and formal efforts for peace, the first was made at the end of the nineteenth century by the Tsar of Russia, who suggested a league of all the European powers, to settle the disputes between European nations. The effect of this movement was local. The second movement, which was the most important attempt for peace, was made at the end of the old war. When the Great War broke out, all nations believed that Germany was responsible. So when the war ended, the victorious powers wished to destroy all causes of wars by punishing the Kaiser and weakening Germany, so they founded the League of Nations, which exhibited the short sightedness of the diplomats.

I hope that the conditions after this war would be suitable for eternal peace, by establishing a world league, by which all nations would be free and equal. Also I hope that it would bring with it happiness to the world and independence to us……?

Arabs Before 1914 By Dr. Walid Kamhawi

The following two essays were written by Dr. Walid Kamhawi at age 16 when he was a student in  Al Najah School in Nablus, Palestine. The essays are printed without editing. He has held a number of prominent positions throughout his life, namely President of Al-Quds Open University,  Chairman of the Palestine National Fund in the PLO, Member of the First Executive Committee in the PLO, and Director of  a Private hospital in Nablus among other notable positions. Today he lives in Amman, Jordan.

If we look back to the history of the Arabs we see that they were overthrown since the fifteenth century when the Turks had occupied their countries until the nineteenth century, when Napoleon had conquered the Near East, and in consequence the principles of the French Revolution began to affect this part of the world.

The first movement was in Egypt, Mohammed Ali Pasha appeared, collected a great army, and built up a great fleet. At the end of the nineteenth century the number of educated men began to increase, and so the different Arabic countries asked the Sultan Turkey to reform the organization of governments in the Arabic countries, and asked him also to keep the offices in these countries for Arabs only.

In 1905 the Arabic political societies came to existence, and the first was [The League of the Arabic Nation] in Paris, and its principles that Arabic countries for Arabs.

While this was taking place in Paris, a Party in Turkey called [Al Ettihadayyeen] revolted, and a parliament was formed of 273 members, out of which 70 were Arabs. But this party began to consider the Turkish race as the ruling class and attempted to Turkinize the Arabic countries.

Ten or fifteen societies were formed to struggle for the independence. Some of these societies were secret. Most of them continued to strive even during the Great War, but those who formed or supported these societies were beheaded.

The most important event in the history of the Arabic movements before 1914 was the holding of the Arabic Conference in Paris 1913. It discussed in four successive meetings the National spirit in the Arabic countries, the rights of the Arabs, and the reforms which must be introduced. The Turkish government tried to suppress this conference, but it failed and the conference submitted many memoranda to the Turkish Sultan and the European governments.

Then the Great War broke out and our movement followed another way.

So we must have in mind that we have been enslaved during five centuries, that we must struggle for the glory of our nation as our forefathers in the past.