PALESTINE RIOT INQUIRY

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 April 1930, Page 5

PALESTINE RIOT INQUIRY

COMMISSION’S REPORT SCOPE FOR REFORMS [.BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, March 31. The report of the Commission on the Palestine disturbance of August last was presented to Parliament today. The Commissioners came to the conclusion that from the beginning the outbreak was an attack upon the Jews by the Arabs, for which no ex-

cuse has been established. A few attacks by Jews upon Arabs were mostly retaliatory. There is no proof that tiie Grand Mufti or the Palestine Arab executive premeditated or organised the disturbances, as has been alleged. The outbreak neither was nor was intended to be a revolt against British authority. The Commission have no serious criticism to make of the action taken by the Palestine Government, either immediately before or after the outbreak. They consider that the Government have throughout discharged to the best of their ability the difficult task of maintaining impartiality between the two peoples, whose leaders have displayed little tendency to compromise. The Commission consider Jewish enterprise and immigration, when not exceeding the country's absorptive capacity, have conferred material benefits on Palestine, which the Arabs have shared, but with regard lo immigration they consider the .Jewish authorities have departed from the doctrine laid down in 1922 and accepted by Zionist organisation, and that the Zionist claims have been calculated to create among the Arabs apprehensions of the loss of livelihood, and-political subjection. Attention is drawn to the number of evictions of Arab cultivators upon the sale of the land they occupied, without alternative land having been provided. The complaint is not made against the Jewish land companies, who in some cases paid cash compensation and acted with the Government’s knowledge, but an acute situation has been produced and a landless discontented class is being created, which is a potential source of danger. It is urgent that some remedy be found for this, situation.

The Commission’s conclusion is that Palestine cannot support an increased agricultural population without radical changes in farming methods. It is believed that the difficulties of the Palestine Government are aggravated by Arab resentment at having no measure of self-Government, and having, unlike the Jews, no direct access to His Majesty’s Government. The reduction of the garrison in Palestine and Transjordan ia. is considered to have been carried too far. The Commission consider fundamental cause of the disturbances was the animosity of tho Arabs towards rhe Jews, arising from the disappointment of their political and national aspirations, and fear for their economic future. The immediate causes were repeated incidents in connection with the Wailing Wall, provocative press articles on both sides, propaganda among the less-educated Arabs, inadequacy of military forces and police, and belief among the Arabs that the Palestine Government’s decision could be influenced by political considerations.

The primary reeognisation of the Commission is that His Majesty’s Government should issue immediately a statement of policy, and make plain their intention of carrying out that policy with all the resources at their command. Such a statement would be more valuable if it contained a clearly-defined interpretation by the British Government of passages in the mandate safeguarding rights of non-Jewish communities, and laid clown more explicit directions for the guidance of the Palestine Government, in the policy on vital issues such as immigration and land. These recommendations are based largely on the assumption that the proposed definition of the policy will merely state that the rights of the non-Jewish community will be fully safeguarded. It recommends that a clear statement be issued of future policy for the control of Jewish immigration, and that the administrative machinery be examined with a view to preventing a repetition of the excessive immigration of the years 1925-26. Machinery should be devised for consulting nonJewish interests on immigration questions.

It is proposed that a scientific. inquiry be held into the projects bl. improved methods of cultivation being introduced. The land policy could then be regulated in the light of the results of the inquiry. Meanwhile, measures should be taken to check the present tendency towards the eviction of peasant cultivation. The Government should consider means of providing the poorer cultivators with credit, facilities.

No further recommendation regarding constitutional developments is made, but attention is drawn to the view already expressed in the report, that the resentment of the Arabs at their failure to obtain any measure of self-Government is an aggravation of the difficulties. The Commission recommended that a Commission be appointed to determine the rights and claims in connection with the Availing Wall, that' more effective control of press propaganda be considered, and. that the British Government reaffirm (hat the special position assigned to (he Zionist organisation does not entitle it. to have a share in the Government of Palestine. The existing garrison should be maintained for the present, and an independent, inquiry be made into the police organisations.

Attached to the report is a note of reservation by Mr Snell, a member of the Commission. He takes a more serious view of the responsibility of the Arab leaders for the disturbances, criticises the action of the Palestine Government in certain respects, and does not endorse the criticisms of the Jewish authorities regarding immigration limits. Mr Spell recommends a more extensive land inquiry than that contemplated by his colleagues, emphasising the necessity for co-opera-tion between the Jews and tile Arabs. He proposes that a few men of both races, of high character and influence, should meet and discuss the possibility of common effort as the first step towards racial co-operation.