The Most Important Event in the History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict That You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of

The significance of the Bludan Conference

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Many of the defining elements of Arab attitudes towards Israel and Zionism, which are presumed to have existed since time immemorial, actually have a specific historic origin. One key milestone is the Bludan Conference of 1937, in which Arab attitudes that had been coalescing from at least the start of the Mandate, finally coalesced into a clear political program, one which has remained remarkably consistent to this day. Convened in the Syrian mountain resort town of Bludan following the Peel Commission, which first proposed the partition of Palestine, this was one of the first major gatherings of Arab leaders that stated their common opposition to Zionism.

Since the Balfour Declaration in 1917, when Britain expressed its support for the establishment of a “national home” for the Jewish people in Palestine, there had been increased Jewish immigration to the country and Arab-Jewish tension. After a series of violent confrontations throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, the Arab Revolt began in 1936, targeting both British rule and Jewish immigration. It was during this period that Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, began seeking broader Arab and Muslim support, starting with the 1931 launch of the Islamic Congress in Jerusalem, aimed at raising awareness of the Palestinian issue throughout the Muslim world, especially in India.

The Bludan Conference was held in September 1937 in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains of western Syria and aimed at formulating a unified Arab reaction to the Peel Commission. The venue was chosen both because it was easily accessible from Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt, but also because it was relatively free from colonial control and could easily accommodate large numbers of delegates.

The conference was attended by around 411 delegates from across the Arab world: 160 Syrians, 128 Palestinians, 65 Lebanese, 30 Transjordanians, 12 Iraqis, six Egyptians, and one Saudi. Notable attendees included Shakib Arslan, a prominent Druze pan-Arab intellectual; Jamil Mardam Bey, a key Syrian nationalist leader; representatives from the Palestinian Arab Higher Committee; and journalists and activists from Egypt and Iraq. Haj Amin al-Husseini contributed to the travel and boarding expenses of attendees; despite this, a British observer, Colonel Mackereth, noted that “there were some painful scenes when a number of the visitors, having already spent their allowances, were unable to meet their hotel bills.”

The conference consciously modeled itself on the World Zionist Congress in Zurich, reflecting the organizers’ awareness that they needed to match Zionist organizational and institutional efforts. It established three main committees to coordinate its work: 1) A Political Committee, which focused on formulating the Arab response to the partition proposal; 2) A Financial and Economic Committee, which addressed economic strategies, including boycotts and trade policies; and 3) A Propaganda Committee, which developed strategies for spreading the conference’s message throughout the region and beyond. Upon arrival, each congress member received a pamphlet titled ‘The Jews and Islam,’ which had been printed in Egypt.