SEEKING A SOLUTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 9 December 1938, Page 5

SEEKING A SOLUTION

PROBLEM OF PALESTINE LONDON CONFERENCE APPROVED DEBATE IN HOUSE OF LORDS (British Official Wirelessl (Received 9th December, 10.42 a.m.) RUGBY. Bth December. In the debate on Palestine in the House of Lords, nearly all the speakers agreed with the Government’s decision to hold its discussions in London. Lord Harlech said his view was that Jewish settlement would grow very slowly, but on sure foundations. To bring such a policy to fruition there must be friendly co-operation and growth must not be too fast. The tragedy of the policy of a Jewish national home in Palestine was that it had been made a refuge because of Jewish persecution. Emigration into Palestine had grown from 11,000 a year to an inrush of from 60.000 to 70.000, mainly owing to German persecution. Neither an Arab nor a Jewish Government would be a solution, and he was convinced that the only hope of success for a round table conference was to make It perfectly clear that British administration would go on in Palestine. THE FEDERAL PRINCIPLE The Marquess of Lothian suggested that the introduction of the federal

principle might go far to solve the problem and that a great deal would depend on getting a measure of agreement between the parties. Lord Swinton maintained that there should be no relaxation of the British Government’s efforts to maintain law and order against the campaign of vio-

lence. He believed it possible to get co-operation between the two races in Palestine. NO UNDUE HASTE Lord Dufferin and Ava, replying for the Government, denied that there wa# any truth in the charge that Ministers had rushed with undue haste into accepting the policy of partition. The Government had to act, and it was believed that both sides would have accepted that solution. The Government was right in believing that. However, many factors intervened to destroy that effort and the Arabs concentrated against the policy of partition. If there had been the desire to work the scheme it would have succeeded, but as there was no desire to work it it was doomed to fail. The Government, therefore, had to try to discover some other way out of the difficulty. It was true that the Arab campaign of violence still continued, but there had been a great diminution in the number of outrages since the reinforcement of the forces, and great progress had been made in restoring authority in those areas which had fallen into the hands of Arab gangs. That policy would continue until by other means appeasement was reached in Palestine. Lord Dufferin and Ava said they could not govern Palestine for ever with troops, therefore the Government had decided to call a conference and received acceptances irom Palestrian Arabs. Egypt. Saudi Arabia, Trans-Jordan, and the Jewish Agency, while they also sent an invitation to fhe King of Yemen. He said it certainly was difficult owing to the lack of any authoritative body in Palestine to explain how it was possible to select a delegation of this nature, but in the Middle East things were done in a quiet and friendly manner, and they would be quite sure to get a responsible Palestinian delegation. It was not the intention of the Government to start the proceedings as a round table conference, although they hoped it would end as such. In the discussions the Government would be bound by the Balfour Declaration and the mandate. If an agreement were reached which would necessitate altering the terms of the mandate they would not hesitate to do so. Should an agreement not be reached and a settlement had to be imposed equally they would hold themselves free to take the proper steps for a similar alteration. The Government did not intend to move j in the matter of immigration during the ( last six months’ period. Lord Dufferin i and Ava concluded by expressing the hope that the conference would restore confidence to both Arab and Jew. If the conference failed it would not be for lack of far thinking and goodwill on the part of the Government.