Central Committee of National Jihad in Palestine

The Central Committee of National Jihad in Palestine (Arabic: اللجنة المركزية للجهاد الوطني في فلسطين) was the nominal political and organizational body of the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine. It was founded during the second stage of the revolt in November 1937.^[1] The Damascus-based Central Committee was founded by Palestinian Arab leaders exiled from the British Mandate of Palestine by the authorities, chief of whom was Izzat Darwaza. The intended purpose of the committee was to provide funds and guidance to the revolt's leaders on the ground,^[2] who were largely of rural origin and acted more or less autonomously from the committee and each other.^[1]

Because the leaders of the Central Committee were exiled, centralized authority over the revolt proved difficult to establish. The Damascus-based leadership and the mostly rural rebels fighting inside Palestine espoused different political outlooks and this further strained the Committee's attempts to influence rebel actions.^[2] Only three of the main rebel leaders in Palestine maintained a collaborative relationship with the Central Committee, while about a dozen others operated beyond the organization's influence.^[3]