“OUTLOOK DARKENING IN PALESTINE”

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25364, 11 December 1947, Page 7

“OUTLOOK DARKENING IN PALESTINE”

35 Killed In Two Days’ Clashes

ARABS SHARPLY CRITICISE POLICING ARRANGEMENTS

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 10. “The outlook in Palestine is darkening steadily,” says the Jerusalem correspondent of “The Times.” “In the list 48 hourZ 23 Jews, nine Arabs, and three Britons have been killed in Arab-Jew ish clashes, mostly in the area between Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

' . J he Arabs yesterday sharply protested against the Palestine Government s decision to leave the Jews to police the Tel Amv area themselves, one Arab newspaper declaring that it was another proof that Britain approved partition and was going to D- rr u Husse,n Khalidi, secretary-general of the Arab Higher Committee, said that the 5000 Arabs in the Tel Aviv area would now become hostages for the Haganah. The Palestine Government, he added, would be held responsible for their lives.

“Dr. Khalidi later told representatives of the foreign press that the Arabs were not bluffing when expressing their determination to prevent partition.

The Arabs, he said, had expected that the United Nations would solve the Palestine problem on a basis of equity, but instead it had been solved through political blackmail, power politics, and even corruption and bribery. If this were the way the Lnited Nations would solve problems, the sooner it disappeared the better.”

.An attempt by.the Arab nations to reopen the Palestine partition question in the Security Council failed yesterday. Over the repeated protests of Mr Faris el Khoury (Syria), the only Arab delegate in the Council, the other members postponed indefinitely all discussion of the Palestine problem. No vote was taken. The Council simply “accepted” official notice of the General Assembly’s resolution from the SecretaryGeneral (Mr Trygve Lie).