World News in Story and Picture

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 181, 1 August 1936, Page 3 (Supplement)

World News in Story and Picture

Palestine's Problems. The Colonial Secretary, Mr. W. Ormsby-Gore, stated that the Palestine Commission obviously could not go to Palestine, where the position was still serious, until sufficient order had been restored to enable it to make Its investigation.—Cable. The Commission will be faced with the most difficult task of reconciling Arab and Jewish interests in Palestine. As briefly as possible the position may be summarised as follows: The Arabs resent the immigration of Jews to Palestine, basing their objection on the contention that .the Arabs are the actual owners of the land and have been in occupation longer than any other race. On this they base their claim that Great Britain had no right to proclaim Palestine a Home for the Jews. The Arabs allege that the Jewish settlers have robbed them of their lands, and therefore their livelihood. They also aver that through Colonel Lawrence, Britain promised the Arabs that an independent Arabic Empire would be formed if they fought against the Turks in the late war.

On the other hand, the Jews claim that they were the original owners

of Palestine, that is, in recorded history. Added to that they maintain that since the advent of Jewish colonists to Palestine after the war the country has progressed to an extent unheard of in modern times, inferring that the Arabs are not capable of advancement in the pre-sent-day sense of the word. The ,4rabs counter this with the contention that they, like the Samoans, are quite content to live as their forefathers did. These conflicting views might have been reconciled had not the Jews asked for the right to colonise the next door State of Transjordania, with it 6 purely Arab population. This brought about a climax in the disputes. One may emphasise the fact that the Jewish demand for the opening up of Transjordania to their people has perhaps done more for the cause of Arab unity than any other single incident in recent years. The demand for an independent Arab State in Palestine, completely free from Great Britain, has developed into a demand for a State embracing not only Palestine, but Transjordania and the French Mandated territory of Syria as well. The spark has been set to the fire, a fire which will not be quenched py a superiority in the numbers *of bullets available.

The "Tangier Zone. The Spanish rebels have threatened to bombard Tangier.—Cable. Any bombardment of Tangier would bring several European nations directly into the Spanish civil war. Situated on the north-west coast of Africa, Tangier with its 225 square miles of area and 51,000 population; constitutes a neutral and tarised zone, governed by Great Britain, Prance, Spain, 'Italy an.d a representative of the Sultan of Morocco. This statue was brought about through the fear of Germany seizing it in pre-war days and turning it into a second Gibraltar. The Cost of Sanctions. According to incomplete League of | Nations' figures on the effect of sanctions between November, 1935, and March, 1936, Italy's total imports dropped 24 per cent and exports 62. During the same period Britain's trade with Italy dropped 51 per cent in purchases and 85 per cent in sales. The corresponding French figures were 26 and 42 per cent. The United States of America increased her imports 27 per cent, while her exports in certain commodities fell by 10 per cent. ,

China's Civil Wars. The Northern (Central Government) armies are rapidly advancing on Canton.—Cable. China's latest civil war is following . tlie procedure of the preceding ones. Insults are flung, grand speeches made, and rival armies march into action. As soon as there is danger of actural fighting it is the practice, of the "general" with the longest purse to buy over his opponent's soldiers. That ends the war for the meantime. A sensible and humane way of conducting warfare (if warfare of any kind ■ can be condoned), it may be presumed, but unfortunately it is not the makers of the war who suffer, but the poor innocent peasants and petty shopkeepers. The men folk of the former are pressed into service, their lands are robbed and despoiled. Their women folk are illtreated. One could allow the military their annual amusement of playing at soldiers, but one cannot forgive the irreparable damage caused to the innocent people, damage which is causing just as much harm to China as the inroads of the Japanese, who, it is said, have the habit of engineering these comic opera wars as an excuse for intervention.