PALESTINE UNREST

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1936, Page 5

PALESTINE UNREST

1919 TREATY TERMS ALLEGATION against LAWRENCE (United Pregs Association— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, June 16. The “News-Chronicle’s” Jerusalem correspondent says: The propaganda in the Jewish struggle has thrown up the name of Lawrence of Arabia. It is aleged that Lawrence mistranslated for the late King Feisul the Arab-Jewisli Treaty which was. signed in London 1919, and which was recently published: Doctor Weizmann, Jewish leader, lias produced a copy of the Treaty as a proof that King Feisul had strongly sympathised with the proposal for a Jewish national home in Palestine; hut, the Arabs declare that this document is a. Jewish forgery. This is improbable,: but is it suggested, on photostatic copies of the Treaty that Lawrence mistranslated the treaty, and "did so because he realised that unless King Feisul could be forced into giving the Jews their demands, lie could nob fulfil iliis dream of a great Arab empire. King Feisul was unable to read English. He added a protective foot-note, which Lawrence translated' on Dr. Weizmrm’s copy, and King Feisul signed it. It read thus: “If the Arabs are established, as I have asked in the manifesto addressed to the British Foreign Secretary, 1 shall carry out this agreement.” The pliotostatip copy of King Feisul’s Arabic loot-note shows that he wrote: “Should the Arabs obtain their independence as I have asked in the manifesto addressed to the British Foreign Secretary I shill carry out this agreement.”

It is said that Lawrence, as a faultless Arabic scholar, could not have' made the faulty translation. It is accordingly suggested that if L'Hvreime “mellowed” King Feisul’s foot-note he also almost certainly toned* down the Zionist aspirations as presented to King Feisul., The Moslem Council supports this vieiv, declaring when it was hinted that a Treaty existed, that King Feisul telegraphed denying his signature. This telegram of King Feisul’s is now in the possession of Hadi Bey, who was a signatory to the Treaty, and who is at present kept, interned in connection with the disorders.