ARAB-JEWISH TREATY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21811, 17 June 1936, Page 11

ARAB-JEWISH TREATY

a mistranslation ALLEGED LAWRENCE OF ARABIA AND KING FEISAL “MELLOWING” A PROTECTIVE FOOTNOTE U'UITED PRESS ASSOCIATIOH—COPIEIGHT.) (Received June 16, 11.50 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. The Jerusalem correspondent of the “News-Chronicle” says propaganda in the Arab-Jewish struggle has thrown up the name of Lawrence of Arabia, who is alleged to have mistranslated for King Feisal the Arab-Jewish treaty signed in London in 1919, which was recently published. Dr. C. Weizmann, president of the English Zionist Federation, has produced a copy of the treaty which he claims is proof that King Feisal strongly sympathised with the project of a Jewish national home in Palestine, but the Arabs declare that the document is a Jewish forgery. This is improbable, but it is suggested on photostatic copies of the treaty that Lawrence mistranslated the treaty because he realised that unless King Feisal could be forced into giving the Jews their demands, he could not fulfil his dream of a great Arab empire. King Feisal, who was unable to read English, added a protective footnote which Lawrence translated on Dr. Weizmann’s copy, and King Feisal signed, thus: “If the Arabs are established, as I asked in the manifesto addressed to the British Foreign Secretary, I carry out this agreement A photostatic copy of King Feisal s Arabic shows that he wrote: “Should the Arabs obtain independence ... It is said that Lawrence, as a faultless Arabic scholar, could not have made a faulty translation. It is accordingly suggested that if he mellowed King Feisal’s footnote, he alj most certainly toned down the Zion- ! ist aspirations presented to King i Feisal. , ... I The Moslem Council supports this i view, declaring that when it was | hinted that the treaty existed. King i Feisal telegraphed denying his sig--1 nature. This telegram is now in the j possession of Hadi Bey, a signatory to the treaty, who is at present interned because of the disorders. ARABS DEFY DEATH PENALTY i I | VIOLENCE CONTINUES ! JERUSALEM, June 15. | The Arab terrorists continue to (defy the death penalty, and are setj ting fire ■to buildings and throwing | bombs, mostly duds, j Snipers wounded two Gordon ! Highlanders. The damage to Jewish property is estimated at £ 150,000. The Arabs assert that they are losing £1,000,000 a month in trade and ! wages, but they have not suffered j much property damage. ! STATEMENT ON CAUSES j REFUSED ( — * , QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OF I COMMONS i ; (BBIiISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) , RUGBY, June 15. ! The Colonial Secretary (Mr W. | Ormsby Gore) declined to make a I statement in the House of Commons on the causes of the recent unrest •in Palestine on the grounds that ithey would be among the matters (for investigation by the proposed {Royal Commission. Replying to a supplementary quesjtion Mr Ormsby Gore declared em- ' phatically that the commission could : only be set up when law and order were fully restored in Palestine, i There were other supplementary i questions which went unanswered, but the Colonial Secretary intervened to contradict “clearly and de- ; finitely” the incidental suggestion {that the Grand Mufti was paid a {salary by the British Government.