UNO Commission’s Report On Plans For Palestine

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 September 1947, Page 6

UNO Commission’s Report On Plans For Palestine

LONDON, August 30. “The United Nations is to be faced with alternative solutions of the Palestine problem, according to. an announcement issued by the United Nations Commission on Palestine after extended sittings on Thursday night,” says the Geneva correspondent of the Associated Press. “The commission announced that its report would include- two plans—one proposing partition and the other advocating a single Arab-Jewish State divided into semi-autonomous areas. Majority for Partition “Seven of the commission’s 11 members supported partition, ■ but so far they have failed to agree on the boundary lines between the two States. In spite of this, the delegates hinted that the report would be completed by September 1, as scheduled. “Unanimous recommendations , to the United Nations will include: “(1) That the British mandate for Palestine be terminated at the earliest “(2) That independence be granted at the earliest date; “(3) That the United Nations be responsible during the transition.” Three Main Documents “The commission’s report will go to the United Nations in the form of three main documents,” says the Geneva correspondent of The Times. “They are:—

“(1) Basic recommendations unanimously agreed on. “(2) A minority report by India, Persia, and Jugoslavia’ favouring the federalisation of Palestine. “(3) A majority report by seven members, excluding Australia, favouring’partition, but containing varying interpretations of the meaning of partition. “The Australian delegate (Mr J. D. Hood) co-operated in drawing up both the minority and majority reports, but took the stand that the commission was a fact-finding body, and it would not be right to be identified either with one side or the other.

“India, Persia, and Jugoslavia claim that their report is based on the belief that Arabs and Jews could and should be encouraged to collaborate.

Reuters and the Associated Press say that the basic recommendations unanimously agreed to, in addition to those already mentioned, are as follows:—

The Holy Places That the holy places be preserved and access for worship and pilgrimage be ensured in accordance with existing right; That the solution of the Palestine problem coulci not of itself provide the only answer to the world Jewish problem. (Guatemala and Uruguay disented on this-matter, which will be the subject of a separate section of the report.); , That the United Nations Assembly should initiate an arrangement-where-by 250,000 Jews now in refugee assembly centres should be dealt with as a matter of urgency;

That democratic principles and the protection of minorities should be considered before independence is granted to Palestine; That Palestine undertake to settle all international disputes in such a manner as not to endanger peace; That economic ‘unity is indispensable to the life and development of Palestine; That the United Nations should appeal against the employment of violence in Palestine during the interim period. Partition Plan The Associated Press says that the majority’s partition plan provides for the creation within two years of two independent States with a joint economic council to co-ordinate their economy. The report recommends that each State should establish a constituent assembly to frame its own constitution and own,laws.

The administration authority during the two years’ transition period should permit the entry of 150,000 Jews into the future Jewish State.

The basic premise of the partition proposal is “that the claims of Arabs and Jews, both possessing validity, are irreconcilable, and that among all the solutions advanced partition will provide the most realistic and practicable settlement, and alone provide the basis for meeting the national aspirations of both parties.”

The Associated Press adds that the delegates supporting partition are disagreed on how to divide Galilee and the Negeb, and on how far inland the Jewish coastal belt should extend. Those who favoured federalisation and partition both supported the principle that the coastal area of central Palestine, including Haifa and Tel Aviv, should go to the Jews, with the corresponding inland areas to the Arabs.

The majority report, while recommending the termination of the British mandadate, implied no criticism of the Mandatory Power, but left no doubt that the present situation in Palestine could not be permitted to continue.

Final judgment on the main disagreed points will be left to the United Nations.

PARTITION NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE ARABS LONDON, August 30. The director-general of the Arab Office in London (Musa Bey Alami) said that the recommendations were utterly unacceptable to the Arabs.

“It is almost a 100 per cent. proZionist solution,” he added. “Partition would plunge the Middle East into a state of war. The Arabs reject the recommendations and will oppose and reject any decision the- United Nations may take on the basis of the commission’s report.” “An Arab army is training in the Palestine hills,” says the News of the World’s Jerusalem correspondent. “It is still small, possibly 20,000, but it will be a core of competent, disciplined soldiers. “This army has sprung up since the possibility arose that the United Nations might impose partition or some other plan not giving Palestine to the Arabs. The Palestine Arabs, led by the Grand Mufti, Haj Amin el Husseini, are determined to fight. “The entire Midele East flows with military equipment, either sold legitimately or illegally, or looted from many desert depots. The Arab, army has vast quantities of arms and ammunition besides some modern signalling apparatus, first-class maps, and some motor transport. The Arabs will rely for heavier arms on their allies, especially Syria. , The Arabs say they have already laid out landing, strips in remote areas.

Princess Margaret Rose Princess Margaret Rose, now that she has passed her 17th birthday, will begin the study of British constitutional history under the guidance of Sir Henry Marten, Provost of Eton, who also directed Princess Elizabeth’s studies in the same subject, states the diarist of the Evening News. The course includes the study of the development of the British Constitution, the inter-relation between the Crown and Parliament, and the development of the Commonwealth, and its ties with the Crown.—London, August 30.