Under law, the colonial power was to choose among the top three vote-getters. al-Husseini placed fourth, receiving only about 7% of the vote. Samuel forced the most popular candidate, Sheikh Husam al-Din to withdraw, which put al-Hesseini in third place, and Samuel appointed him Mufti for life.

Jews and Palestinians alike have Herbert Samuel to thank for every single act of violence and destruction committed by al-Husseini while he held this position and the other positions that arose from his being appointed Mufti of Jerusalem.

Herbert Samuel was most certainly not appeasing the Palestinians by skirting around the law and overriding their votes against al-Husseini. He was pursuing an agenda of his own that had nothing whatever to do with the welfare of either Jewish or non-Jewish Palestinians.