The Hawera Star. THURSDAY. AUGUST 20, 1929. THE FEUD IN PALESTINE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 29 August 1929, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

THURSDAY. AUGUST 20, 1929. THE FEUD IN PALESTINE.

Delivered every evening by 6 o’clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby. Okaiawa, Eltham. Mangatoki, Kaponga., Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere, Fraser Road and Ararata.

It was recognised when .the British Government accepted a mandate for Palestine, Tra-ns-Jortlania and Iraq that Britain had undertaken a, very onerous task. At the time the Near East was a, danger zone and subsequent events proved that fears, based on the lack of general agreement between contending interests, had been well-founded. The Greek disaster at Smyrna created a 1 dangerous position and this was .followed by a period of tension between the British and Turkish Governments •with respect to the Iraq frontiers. Later on the French had to Tcsort, to desperate measures to defeat a. formidable rising

l in Syria, and in 1920 Arab riots broke out in Palestine, directed against the Zionist Jews, many of whose recent immigrants had incited Moslem animosity by propaganda. These outbreaks were followed by others of a more serious character in the two following years, so that tin* past decade has been one of unrest from. Egypt, through Persia and on to Afghanistan. Efforts to secure ihe political co-operation of tho Jews

and the Arabs ia Palestine have not been successful, and in 3022, in an endeavour to make the position clear between these two hostile sections, tho British Government issued a, statement explicitly disclaiming the intention either of creating a ‘wholly Jewish Palestine or of countenancing the subordination of the Arab population. -At the same time it was unequivocally stated that the Jews were to be considered as part of the nation by right and not on sufferance. An attempt P confer upon Palestine a measure of representative government by the creation of a Legislative Council was rendered abortive by the boycott of the

elections by the Arabs. Sufficient progress had been made in minor matters, however, to warrant the hope that the Iwo people could be brought {to co-operate in the governance of the country, but racial antipathy lias been smouldering, and towards the end of last year there were indications that, serious trouble would develop out of the religious differences which were kept much to- the fore. The j famous Wailing Wall, the cause of the I latest friction, is a piece of masonry (held in the greatest reverence by the Jews and closely woven into national sentiment. In this narrow street, Jews of all classes and countries have for a thousand years past prayed for the restoration of their ancient glories. But the wall is also holy .to the Moslems, and, moreover, is legally the absolute property of the Moslem community. The erection of a wooden partition to separate men and women in accordance with the requirements of • orthodox Judaism called forth Arab complaints in September of last year, 'and the screen was removed by the police, in spite of resistance from some of the worshippers. The Secretary of State for the Colonies' made it clear in at memora.nfhiin that while the British G-overnment regarded it as their duty, and their intention, to maintain the Jewish right of access to the Wailing Wall, permission of the Government and of the Moslem owners had to be first obtained'. Unfortunately, this dispute has been seized upon by the Arabs to resort to their traditional occupation of looting, culminating in the bloodshed which has .turned the eyes of the world upon Palestine and created a demand by Jews throughout the world for adequate protection for members of their race by the British Government.