PALESTINE AFFAIRS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 145, 1 April 1930, Page 5

PALESTINE AFFAIRS

REPORT BY COMMISSION.

POSITION OF THE ARABS. STATEMENT OF POLICY URGED. (United Press Association—Copyright.) ('Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 31. The report of the Commission on the disturbances in Palestine last August was presented to. Parliament to-day. The Commissioners came to the conclusion that from the beginning the outbreak was an attack upon the Jews by Arabs, for which no excuse has been established. The few attacks by the Jews upon Arabs were mostly retaliatory. There is no proof that the / Grand Mufti or the Palestine Arab Executive premediated or organised disturbances, jrs, has been alleged. , The outbreak neither was, nor was it intended to be, a revolt against British authority. . , ... The'Commission has no serious 9 ri^ 1eism to make of the action taken by the Palestine Government, either imfr mediately before or after the outbreak./ It considers that the Government has throughout discharged to the best of its ability the difficult task of maintaining impartiality between two peoples whose leaclj ers have displayed little tendency to compromise. ■ ' , , T The Commission considers that Jen - ish enterprise and immigration, when not exceeding the country’s absorptive capacity, hay le conferred on Palestine material benefits which the Arabs have shared; but _ with regard to immigration, it considers the Jewish authorities have departed from the doctrine laid down in 1922 and accepted by the Zionist organisation, and that Zionist claims have been calculated to create among the Arabs apprehensions of the loss of livelihood and political subjection. Eviction of Arab Cultivators. Attention is drawn to the number of 1 evictions of Arab cultivators upon the sale of land they occupied, without alternative land having been provided. The complaint is not made against the Jewish land companies, who in some cases paid cash in compensation and acted with the Government’s knowledge, but an acute situation has been produced and a landless, discontented class is being created which is a potential source of danger. It is urgent that some remedy be found for this situation. . .. , The Commission s. conclusion is that Palestine cannot support an increased agricultural population without radical changes in farming methods. It is believed that the difficulties of the Palestine Government are aggravated by Arab resentment at having no measure of self-government, and having, unlike the Jews, no direct access to His Majesty’s Government. Reduction of the garrison m Palestine and Transjordan is considered to have been carried too far. The Commission considers that the fundamental cause of the disturbances was the animosity of the Arabs toward the Jews arising from, disappointment of. their political and national aspirations and fear for their economic future. The immediate causes were repeated incidents in connection with, the Wailing Wall, provocative articles in the Press v on both sides, propaganda among tile less educated Arabs, the inadequacy of the military forces and police, and belief among the Arabs that the Palestine Government’s decisions could, be influenced by political considerations. . The primary recommendations of the Commission is that His Majesty’s Government should immediately issue a statement of policy and make plain its intention of carrying out that policy with all the resources ,at its command. Such a statement would be more valuable if it contained a clearlydefined interpretation by the British Government of the passages in the mandate safeguarding the rights of non-Jewisli communities and laid down more explicit directions for the guidance of the Palestine Government in its policy on vital issues such as immigration and land. The Land Question,

These recommendations are based largely on the assumption that the proposed definition of policy will clearly state that the rights of non-Jewish communities will be fullyi safeguarded. It recommends the issue of a clear statement of future policy for control of Jewish immigration, and that the administrative machinery be examined with a view to preventing a repetition of the excessive immigration of the years 1925-26. Machinery should be devised for consulting non-Jewish interests on immigration questions. It is proposed that scientific inquiry :be held*into the projects of improved methods of cultivation being introduced. The land policy could then be regulated in the light of the results of the inquiry. Meanwhile measures should be taken to check the present tendency toward eviction of peasant cultivators. The Government should consider means of providing poorer cultivators with credit facilities. . No formal recommendation regarding constitutional development is made, hut attention is drawn to the view, already expressed in the report, that reesntment of the Arabs at thenfailure to obtain any measure of:selfgovernment is aggravating the difiicuiThe Commissioni recommends that a Commission he appointed to determine rights and claims in connection with the Wailing Wall, that more effective control of Press propaganda be considered ' and that the British Government reaffirm that the special position assigned to the Zionist organisation does not entitle it to have a share of the government of Palestine The existing garrison should be maintained for the present, and independent inquiry should be made into police organisations. Labour Member’s Opinion. Attached to the report i.s a note of reservation by Mr Snell (a Laboui member of the Commission). He takes a more serious view of responsibility o the Arab leaders for the disturbances, criticises the action of the Palestine Government in certain, respects and does not endorse- the criticisms of the Jewish authorities. Regarding immigration limits Mr Snell, recommends more extensive land inquiry than that contemplated by his colleagues, emphasising the necessity of co-operation between Jews and Arabs. He proposes that a few men of both races of high character and influence should meet and discuss the possibility of a common effort as a first"step toward racial cooperation.—British Official Wireless. ARAB DELEGATION. LONDON. March 30 The Palestine Arab delegation will reach London to-night. It is headed by Musha Kazim Pasha, and includes also

the Grand Mufti and the Mayor of Jerusalem. It will see Lord Passfield (Secretary for Dominion Affairs) early in the coming week.