Society for the Defense of Palestine

Society for the Defense of Palestine
Flag of the Iraqi Kingdom used by the unit
Leaders	Fawzi al-Qawuqji Muhammad al-Ashmar
Dates of operation	1936
Active regions	Nablus - Tulkaram - Jenin triangle, Mandatory Palestine
Ideology	Arab nationalism
Size	200
Allies	Arab Higher Committee Local rebel factions (fasa'il)
Opponents	British Army
Battles and wars	1936-39 Arab revolt in Palestine

Society for the Defense of Palestine was a nationalist Arab militia, active during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. The group was composed of Sunni Arab volunteers, mainly coming from Iraq and commanded by Iraqi Fawzi al-Qawuqji.

It was established, when Al-Qawuqji resigned his commission in the Iraqi army and his position at the Royal Military College to lead approximately fifty armed guerrillas into Mandatory Palestine.^[1] Deputy commander of the unit was Muhammad al-Ashmar, who commanded an Arab volunteer force's Syrian battalion between August and October 1936.^[2]

In August 1936, al-Qawuqji commanded about 200 volunteers from Iraq, Syria, Transjordan, and the Samaria region of Palestine. His title was 'Supreme Commander of the Arab Revolution in South-Syrian Palestine.' He operated four units, (Iraqi, Syrian, Palestinian Druse and Palestinian Muslim) in the Nablus - Tulkaram - Jenin triangle until the end of October 1936. The military performance of al-Qawuqji's troops became hampered by internal dissensions and animosity between him and Grand Mufti Husseini, the Arab Higher Committee, and the Mufti's kinsman Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, who commanded forces that were active in the area around Jerusalem. On 26 October 1936, al-Qawuqji crossed the Jordan River with his troops into Transjordan. A few weeks later he returned to Iraq.^[3]