The Palin Commission report 1 juli 1920: "It was while the first half of the procession was passing through the Jaffa Gate that the explosion occurred at a point outside the gate somewhere between Christaki's Pharmacy and the Credit Lyonnais Bank. The exact incident which caused the explosion has not been clearly ascertained - possibly there were more than one. The attempt to fix the responsibility on a Jewish Chemist employed at Christaki's did not satisfy the Court, the evidence being contradictory and unreliable. There is some evidence to show that the attitude of the Jewish spectators was in certain cases provocative, but it appears much more likely that the mine was deliberately fired by some agents provocateur raising the cry of an insult to the banner by a Jew. On the other hand the evidence of Messrs. Russell and Perrott points to the origin of the affair being in an attack by a pilgrim on some person in the crowd whose part was taken by a Jewish soldier. This man was not produced, but it is interesting to note that such a man is described by Mr. Abrahams as being in flight from the mob immediately after the trouble broke out."
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Urban Violence in the Middle East: Changing Cityscapes in the Transition from Empire to Nation State. Berghahn Books. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-78238-584-4 "While the first half of the procession was passing through the Jaffa Gate, the riot began between Christaki's pharmacy and the Credit Lyonnais. Available sources do not clarify the exact trigger, and it is arguable that more than one event functioned as a catalyst. In the vicinity of the Arab rally, some Zionists were listening to the speeches. It is likely some belonged to the self-defence force organized by Vladimir Jabotinsky, by this time already enlisting six hundred troops performing military drills on a daily basis." Already in early March, Jabotinsky was working to inflame the atmosphere, and he began to publicly predict a pogrom. Some evidence suggests that these Jewish spectators were quite provocative. Allegedly, a Jew pushed an Arab carrying a nationalist flag, and he tried to spit on the banner and on the Arab crowd. According to testimony gathered by the French consul, some young Jews standing near Jaffa Gate attacked some Arabs after the speech delivered by Muhammad Darwish of the Arab Club (one of the Christian-Muslim associations). All of these reports suggest only Jewish provocation; however, it is possible, though unreported, that Arab activities also triggered the riots."
