PALESTINE LAND

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 136, 4 March 1940, Page 8

PALESTINE LAND

Further Explanation Of New Law REGULATING SALES Effort To Avoid “Landless Arab” Problem (British Ollicial Wireless.l RUGBY, February 29. The following points are made in explanation of a section of the White Paper relating to the new Palestine land regulations, announced by the Colonial Secretaiy, Mr. MacDonald, in the House of Commons. First, the restrictions on the sale of land by Arabs to Jews will not prevent further development of the Jewish national home. Land purchases will not be stopped. They can be continued without restriction on a considerable scale in many areas, including the bulk of the maritime plain. Secondly, boundaries between free, restricted' and prohibited areas are not to be regarded as fixed for all time, but are subject to review and modification by the High Commissioner if he is satisfied that the rights and position of the Arab population are duly preserved. Thirdly, whereas under Article 6 ot the mandate, the Administration . of Palestine is charged with the facilita lion of Jewish immigration and the encouragement, under suitable conditions. of closer settlement by Jews on the land, it is also required to ensure that the rights and position of other sections of the population are nor prejudiced. Fourthly. Ihe British Government has been advised that the rights and position of Hie Arab population on the land will lie prejudiced unless land sales are prohibited in some areas and regulated in others. Fifthly, apart, from the obligations of the British Government under the mandate and from a purely practical viewpoint, if land sales remain unrestricted there is likely to arise a “landless Arab” problem of such dimensions that it will be extremely difficult to find any solution of it. DEMONSTRATORS THROW STONES (Received March 3, 7.31) p.m.) JERUSALEM, March 2. Stones were thrown at police during Jewish demonstrations in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv. Several constables and a number of demonstrators were injured. An earlier message says that an Australian detachment co-operated with the Palestine police in surrounding a village in which bandits were believed to be hiding. The action was successful. the villagers surrendering ammunition. 'The Australians have assumed the work of patrolling the countryside, which was previously carried out by British troops. Brigadier Allen has been appointed military commander of the district, and will be responsible for the maintenance of military and civil order. Brigadier Allen invited Arab notables ami chiefs to an open-air conference, at which the chiefs declared that all Arabs were for the Allies.