On Aug. 14, 1929, 60,000 Jews marched in Tel Aviv, chanting "The Wall is ours," while 3,000 Jews gathered at the wailing wall itself for prayers, triggering demonstrations by Jews, including members of the extremist organization Betar, who carried sticks and other threatening weapons on the site. Rumors spread among Arabs that Jews were about to take over the holy sites. Leaflets printed in Arabic, which were likely printed before Aug. 14 and suggest provocative intent on Arabs' part, too, were distributed among the populace, urging Arabs to revolt.
One of the leaflets, printed by the "Committee of the Holy Warriors in Palestine," put it explicitly: "Hearts are in tumult because of these barbaric deeds, and the people began to break out in shouts of 'war, Jihad... rebellion.' ... O Arab nation, the eyes of your brothers in Palestine are upon you... and they awaken your religious feelings and national zealotry to rise up against the enemy who violated the honor of Islam and raped the women and murdered widows and babies."
Arabs rioted. British mandate forces added up to no more than 300 policemen. So the British were either powerless or, more likely, uninterested in intervening. Jews and Arabs traded massacres. The week of riots netted 133 Jews and 116 Arabs killed. See Also: