Commission s Report

Northern Advocate, 30 August 1947, Page 8

Commission s Report

The United Nations is to be faced with two solutions to the Palestine problem, according to an announcement by the United Nations Commission on Palestine, which was issued after extended sittings last night, says the Geneva correspondent of the Associated Press. The commission announced that its report would include two plans. One of these would propose partition and the other would advocate a single Arab-Jewish state divided into semi-autonomous areas.

A majority of seven of the 11 members supported partition, it was stated, but so far had failed to agree on the boundary lines between the two states. Delegates hinted that the report would be completed by Tuesday. The commission adopted “10 basic recommendations,” among which were:— That the British mandate be terminated at the earliest date; that independence be granted at the earliest date; and that the United Nations be responsible during the transition. The United Nations special committee on Palestine report will go to the United Nations in the form of three main documents, says The Times Geneva correspondent. They will be: (1) Basic recommendations unanimously agreed. (2) A minority report by India, i Persia and Yugoslavia favouring fedieralisation 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) cooperated in drawing up both minority and majority reports, but took the stand that the committee was a fact-finding body and it would not be right to be identified on one side or the other. India, Persia and Yugoslavia claim that their report is based on the belief that Arabs and Jews could and should be encouraged to collaborate. Reuter and the Associated Press correspondents say the basic reccommendations unanimously agreed, in addition to those cabled, were as follows: TRANSITION PERIOD

That the transition period be as short as possible; that holy places be preserved and access for worship and pilgrimage ensured with existing rights; that a solution of the Palestine problem could not of itself provide the only answer to the world Jewish problem (Guatemala and Uruguay dissented in this matter which will be the subject of a separate section of the report); that the United Nations Assembly should initiate an arrangement whereby 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 a prior consideration of the grant of independence 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 and that the United Nations should appeal against the employment of violence, in Palestine during the interim period. The Associated Press says the majority’s partition plan provides for the creation within two years of two independent states with a joint economic council to coordinate their economy.

The report recommends that each state should establish a constituent assembly to frame its own constitution and its own laws. The administration authority during a two-year transition period should permit the entry of 150,000 Jews into the future Jewish State. The basic promise 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 a basis for meeting the national aspirations of both parties.” The Associated Press adds that delegates supporting partition so far have disagreed on how to divide Galilee and

the Negeb, and on how far inland a Jewish coastal belt should extend.

Federalists and partitionists both supported in principle that the coastal areas in central Palestine, including Haifa and Tel Aviv, should go to the Jews, with corresponding inland areas to the Arabs.

The majority report, while recommending termination of the British mandate, 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.