The Bay of Plenty Times SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1947 NEW ZEALAND SUPPORTS PARTITION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14533, 29 November 1947, Page 2

The Bay of Plenty Times SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1947 NEW ZEALAND SUPPORTS PARTITION

Tn declaring’ in favour of the partition of I cdcstine, New Zealand has ranged itself alongside those estern ])°ak ■ see in this course the best way out of an othenuse situation. Sir Carl Berendsen put the matter in a nn s 1( .• lie said, “if we must choose between a consideied p ai * 0 I/., tion on the one hand, and on the other hand teimina ion * • mandate and its replacement by nothing but chaos anc con is , we must choose partition.” . , , The argument for partition was convincingly advanced D} ino Jewish leaders who gave evidence before the Special Comnn . f < • Palestine last July. For example reasons why an Aral min _ . could be left in a Jewish Palestinian state and not a J<m\ is i niinoi i . in an Arab state were advanced by Mr David Ben-Gui ion. j Palestinian Arabs, he pointed out, were only three per cent. oL all those Arabs who gained political independence alter t nas va and occupied less than cue per cent, ol the territors occupun ry a Arab states. Furthermore, they would remain surrounded by t\ran states and in safe, national association witii limm. A Jewish minoritv in an Arab state,, on the other hand, would mean the final extinction of the hope of the entire Jewish people lor national equality and independence. _ . . . ~ Giving evidence on the same occasion the former presided 0. the World Zionist, Movement, Dr Clmim Wei/man, claimed that the arguments which spoke for partition in India spoke also or J. in Palestine. “Partition,” he declared, “will give the Jews an opportunity of continuing and expanding their work in peace, a.n it will give the Arabs an assurance that the Jews are not going o encroach upon their rights and territory. Furthermore, it t i>Jews have status of equality with the Arabs, it will b(* c come to an understanding with them.” Dr WeDman added that Jewish and Arab slates would soon discover many common interests such as railways, customs, irrigation, and power schemes. Political separation would not rule out economic collaboration. These points seem to have been recognised by the Western Powers; As was only to be expected, however, those supporting the Arab cause against partition include all the Moslem states whose peoples and religion are kin. In the voting at Bake Success, however, there is more than a suggestion ol an alignment ol Fast against West, and also of coloured against while _ races, with Russia, for once, and for reasons best known to herself, supporting the latter.