ABSTRACT
The degree to which religious sensibilities were mixed with the equally volatile Eastern Question was tragically demonstrated by the escalation of a petty dispute into the Crimean War, which involved the major European powers and Turkey. Upon their return to authority in Jerusalem, the Turks attempted to counter the influence of the consuls, missionaries, and other Europeans, with their imperialistic ambitions in the city. In Jerusalem, the main losers were the "natives"—Muslim Arabs and Sephardis alike—who lost much of their privileged status to the ascendant Europeans, including the Europeans' "client" populations, the Christian Arabs and the Ashkenazis. According to the British ambassador in Istanbul, the increasing audaciousness of European attitudes, behaviors, and political activities in Palestine was "introducing a restless spirit of dissatisfaction amongst the native population." In the growing polarization between the Europeans and the local Muslims, the Prushis found themselves caught in the middle.
