1913: Seeds of Conflict

Historical Characters

Arthur Ruppin

Arthur Ruppin

Arthur Ruppin was a Jewish German sociologist and statistician who relocated to Jaffa in 1907 to work for the World Zionist Organization. Ruppin headed the Palestine Office and was in charge of buying land for Jewish Settlement in Palestine.

FROM THE FILM …

Ruppin (German): Land is the most necessary thing for establishing roots in Palestine. We will not spread all over the land, but concentrate in a few uniform settlement points.

Ruppin (German): Some people believe that we have already done tremendous work in developing Palestine. But compared to what needs to be done, we have, unfortunately, achieved very little.

Ruppin (German): As yet, the Arabs are not organized, and not yet strong enough to be feared. But we are living through a critical moment. We will have to reckon with a serious enemy in the future.

Ruppin (German): The dice will be thrown to decide whether when history comes to be written, Zionist aspirations will be regarded as the birth of an important movement or a fantastic stupidity? Will it one day be said of me that I played a key role at an important period, and failed to understand the times and what was demanded of me?

SOURCES:
Arthur Ruppin and the Production of Pre-Israeli Culture, Etan Bloom, Brill, 2011.
Jerusalem 1913: the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Amy Dockser Marcus, Viking, Apr 19, 2007