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was a Bedouin leader, son of a Sheikh from First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Khalisa located in Galilee Panhandle.
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Kamil Husayn Effendi
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Kamil Husayn is known mainly for his involvement in tel hai events, and for his participation in the arab struggle against the french mandate in north galilee. Starting from 1916, the year that Sykes–Picot Agreement was signed, the french tried to take control over the area of north galilee. The french did not manage to establish their rule upon te area, and did not send many armed forces to there, but held on to the coastal area, like the city Sidon.
Husayn, like other arab leaders in the galilee, showed resistance to the french conquer, and took advantage of their weaknece to revolt against their rule, and even to harass to the christian villages to which the french mandate granted its sponsporship.
The four jewish villages in the french area, Metula, Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi, and Hamara also got caught into these events. On the 1"st of march 1920 a group of armed arabs came to Tel Hai and demanded to enter in order to make sure there are no french troops.
Joseph Trumpeldor, the head commander of the jewish defence forces in the area, let Husayn and a few of his armed men to enter the settlement. During the visit, while in the top floor of the main building, Husayn have decided to confiscate the weapons of the jews.
After trying to take by force one of the settlers weapon Trumpeldor commanded his men to shoot the attackers.
While the jewish defenders fought the arab forces by the gate, Husayn and his men barricaded themselves in the attic, where they were at the time, and killed defenders from the inside. During one of the pauses in the fighting, Husayn managed to rejoin the main force. Hours later the attackers were driven away.
But it wasn"t a real victory, the big loss in lives and ammunition led to abandonment of the place.
We don"t know if Husayn planned from the start to conquer the settlement, or, if, as he claimed he came to make sure the area is clean from french forces, his sworn enemy. Pinhas Shneorson, one of the jewish settlers, testified that Husayn have approached him during the fighting asking for truce claiming that the jews started the shooting.
Shneorson let him join the rest, but didn"t manage to contact a different defence force that continued shooting Husayn and his men until the end of the battle. Very little is known about the life of Husayn after the time of the events.
We know he continued to resist against the french rule and to harass to the other jewish villages in the area.
Husayn died mysteriously in 1948, some claim he was poisoned.
