October 1, 1917, Ottoman soldiers surrounded the Jewish village of Zichron Yaakov. Their goal was to arrest Jews working to to help the British take over Ottoman Palestine. The captured Jews were jailed and tortured.
The Ottoman Kamikam (governor) threatened to do to the Jews what was done to the Armenians (the Armenian genocide was at its zenith at the time.) A telegraph sent by the Ottoman interior minister, Nazar Talaat, to the governor of Beirut read: “In the village of Zamrin (Zichron Yaakov,) in the Haifa district, the Kamikam (governor) told the people that if they do not hand over the spy Lishansky, their fate will be like the Armenians, as I am involved in the deaths of the Armenians.”
The leadership in Palestine, led by Ahmed Djemal Pasha, dealt mostly with the security issues faced by the threat of a British invasion. This included fear of a “fifth column” that would assist the British and led to expulsion of Jews from Tel Aviv. The central government was worried about their fate and the public relations damage that would ensue. Djemal Pasha, responding to bad PE in Europe about the expulsion, sent a telegraph to Istanbul about “evil rumors circulating in Europe,” regarding the fate of the Jews expelled from Tel Aviv, and asked that the Spanish consul investigate the affair in order to compile a neutral report.
Djemal Pasha was seen by both Jews and Arabs as devoted to Ottoman rule and cruel in his suppression of ethic nationalism. He described the Zionists as ” a huge disaster for Palestine. They have built an independent court in Jaffa, and are working to expand their autonomy,” wrote Pasha. He suggested completely outlawing Jewish immigration and prohibiting foreign Jews and Jewish groups from involvement in running the Jewish settlements.
“Among the cursed Zionists, only 30-40 Russian Jews asked to receive Ottoman citizenship. I believe that their request should be rejected and they be expelled. With regards to the rest of the Jews, I believe they should all be sent away. I’m asking for your permission, so as not to act against the decisions of the central government.”