Britain Will Not Share Palestine

Northern Advocate, 22 November 1947, Page 7

Britain Will Not Share Palestine

NEW YORK, Fri. —Sir Alexander Cadogan (Britain) told the Palestine Committee of the United Nations Assembly that Britain could not agree to share in the administration of Palestine temporarily with a United Nations commission.

A sub-committee had recommended that a commission should go to Palestine immediately to prepare to take over the full administration when the British mandate ended. Sir Alexander, commenting on this, said no better way could be found of creating confusion and disorder. , ‘‘Obviously such a division of authority would have disastrous consequences. As long as the British Government held a mandate it must insist on having undivided control. ‘‘MINOR BOMBSHELL”

He assured the committee that this did not imply any change in Britain's plan to withdraw from Palestine as quickly as possible.

Sir Alexander’s statement was something of a "minor bombshell ” Members of the partition sub-com-mittee looked at one another with puzzled expressions, realising that Britain’s statement upset many important provisions in their implementation report.

M. Ksavery Pruszynski (Poland), chairman of the partition sub-com-mittee, immediately proposed an adjournment to give time for consultation with governments. He described the British statement as "fraught with grave consequences."