The First Jordanian Martyr on the Soil of Palestine - Kayed Mufleh Al-Obaidat

Kayed Mufleh Al-Obaidat is recognized as the first Jordanian martyr on the land of Palestine in the year 1920, and one of the leaders of the Jordanian national movement that became aware of the Zionist danger, rejected the Balfour Declaration, and opposed the Jewish settlement in Palestine. He is also among the prominent figures known in northern Jordan before the formation of the modern Jordanian state.

Born in the town of Kufrsoum in 1868, his father is considered the founder of the Al-Obaidat tribe and was a member of the Damascus Province. He received his education in the traditional Kuttab schools in northern Jordan, and he exhibited signs of brilliance early on in his life, memorizing the Holy Quran by the age of ten. He received special attention from his father and older brothers and showed leadership qualities from a young age. By the time he was twenty, he had become influential in northern Jordan, rising to become the leader of his people in his youth, and over time became one of the prominent leaders of his era in northern Jordan, Palestine, and the Golan Heights. He was also one of the notable figures in the Arab nationalist movement that emerged in the Levant at the end of the Ottoman Empire.

He had a passion for history and the historical figures whose lives and histories he extensively read. He also urged people to eradicate illiteracy and to educate their children in the Kuttab, which were widespread in northern Jordan at that time. Although he was of median rank among his siblings, he inherited the leadership of the Al-Obaidat tribe from his father and, over time, became the leader of the Kafarat areas in northern Jordan. He was also a member of the Court Council in Damascus Province.

Kayed Mufleh Al-Obaidat had an Arab nationalist orientation, was known for his piety, and had a close relationship with the men of the nationalist movement that emerged against the Ottoman Empire after the rule of the Committee of Union and Progress. He was well aware of the Jewish plan to occupy Palestine and establish a national homeland there and had a broad political awareness. He opposed the policies of the Committee of Union and Progress, which came to power in the Ottoman Empire in 1908, and had a close relationship with the Arab associations that emerged at that time.

He was not known to have any relation to the Great Arab Revolt as the latter focused on southern Jordan, but references speak of communication between him and King Faisal, who reached Damascus with his army in 1920.

His role became significantly prominent in the assembly of Jordanian and Arab figures held in Ajloun in 1917, which rejected the Balfour Declaration's offer of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine, and the Sykes-Picot Agreement. He was chosen by the attendees to correspond with tribal sheikhs and Arab figures everywhere to rally efforts against the Zionist plans for Palestine.

The Arab resistance to the Zionist presence in Palestine began in 1920, where the Sheikh led the first attack from Jordan in the region of Tel Al-Tha'lab, to become a martyr along with several attackers, facing an uneven battle against attackers with firearms and powder and Zionist gangs supported by British forces, which confronted them with machine guns and medium weapons.