THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered for transmission througb the Post as a Newspaper SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 1947. Britain's Palestine- Decision

Northern Advocate, 27 September 1947, Page 4

THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE Registered for transmission thr ougb the Post as a Newspaper SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 1947. Britain's Palestine- Decision

In the midst of a swirl of conflicting elements, disclosing major nations at odds with one another, there emerges today another development that must inevitably season the evil broth in course of brewing. Britain has given notice to the Assembly of the United Nations that she has decided to lay down the Palestine mandate held by her for the last quarter of a century, and to withdraw from Palestine all her administrative and military forces at an early date. An indication of Britain’s intention to act in this way was given early in the present year, when Sir Alexander Cadogan, speaking for the Government, declared Britain’s inability, as well as disinclination, to carry longer a burden which should have been shared by others. Yesterday Mr Creech Jones, speaking at the Assembly of the United Nations, gave notice that Britain was going to withdraw from Palestine regardless of the Assembly's decision upon the report of the Palestine Commission, which recommended the partition of the country as the only effective means of meeting the rival claims of Jews and Arabs.

Palestine, the British representative said, was now in the hands of the United Nations, which must deal with it, because Britain was not prepared to undertake the task of imposing any policy in Palestine by force of arms.

This declaration has put the United Nations Assembly “on the spot,” and must inevitably set its future course in the interests of international peace.

Britain, after 25 years’ effort to help Arabs and Jews to develop a land which each has strong grounds for regarding as its own, has come to the conclusion that it can no longer pay a crushing price in blood and treasure to meet an obligation into which it was to all intents and purposes forced in 1917, when the League of Nations endeavoured to redraw the map of Europe and the Middle East.

The advent of'the United Nations has changed the whole outlook, and, reluctant as Britain must be, for many reasons—national and international—to relinquish her task, she sees no alternative method by which the United Nations can be forced to undertake a task it should have accepted long ago.

me report or tne Assemmy s Palestine Commission, which had been awaited with anxiety in Palestine and in the world-wide, strongholds of Jewry, aroused general attention in Britain, throughout the Arabic-speaking East, and in many of the British Dominions and Colonies beyond the seas. It was hoped that the commission would find a solution of the Palestine problem, a solution which had so far evaded Britain, but the recommendations contained in the report seem to have satisfied none of the parties concerned; on the other hand, they have resulted in Britain’s determination to leave to the United Nations the task of finding the much desired solution, a development which must mark an epoch in 'Middle East affairs. Though Britain intends to withdraw from Palestine—unless some decision satisfactory to her is reached by the Assembly—there is apparently no intention to withdraw from the Middle East as many people have feared would follow as a natural corollary.

According to a British spokesman, evacuation of troops and administrators from Palestine would be part of a general rearrangement of Britain’s Middle East forces, involving bases in East Africa and lending critical interest to discussions regarding the future of the African territory taken from the Italians during the war. Whitehall appears to regard pessimistically the United Nations’ chances of finding a solution of the problem which Britain has sought in vain after 25 years’' endeavour, and suggests that British assistance to other members of the United Nations to carry out an agreed-upon plan will depend upon the inherent justice of the plan and the forces likely to be entailed.

Most striking of the comments reported, however, is that of the Arabs, who will regard as unacceptable any move to hand over the British Administration to a foreign authority. They say they have always held Britain responsible for the Palestine problem, and declare that she cannot escape responsibility for solving the problem by handing the country to the United Nations or any UNO group. ,

Britain, apparently, thinks differently, and is about to translate thought into action with repercussions/which cannot be foreseen.