AMERICAN CHARGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26781, 26 May 1948, Page 5

AMERICAN CHARGES

BRITISH POLICY IN PALESTINE JOINT TALKS SUGGESTED N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent LONDON. May 24. Although the Foreign Office denies that it has received a Note from ll.e United States protesting against British aid to the Arab Legion, it is not denied in Whitehall that the situation in Palestine, and particularly the aid given by Britain to King Abdullah of Transjordan, has led to a serious deterioration in Anglo-American relations. The position has become so serious that Cabinet will discuss the question this week. It was suggested at the week-end that the Foreign Secretary, Mr Ernest Bcvin, may go to the United States to answer personally the charges made against British policy. This report is denied by the Foreign Office, but it is known that Mr Bevin asked the American Ambassador, Mi’ Lewis Douglas, to call upon him on Saturday in order to discuss the events in Palestine. At this interview Mr Bevin is understood to have protested against American action in recognising the new State of Israel without previously discussing the matter with Britain, and to have emphasised that the only hope of bringing about a lasting truce in..-Pales-tine is by joint Anglo-American action. The possibility of achieving this joint action has, in Mr Bevin’s view, been prejudiced by recent American actions. A later message says that Mr Douglas had made his third visit to Mr Bevin in three days. Bound by Treaty Mr Bevin’s view is that Britain is bound by her treaty with Transjordan to provide financial and other material aid for King Abdullah’s army and that she is not at present justified in refusing to fulfil these obligations. If the United Nations declared that Transjordan is committing an act of aggiession in Palestine Britain would then have the right to review her position, under the clause -in the Anglo-Trans-jordan treaty which stipulates that nothing in it shall prejudice the rights and obligations of either party under the United Nations Charter. The present British subsidy to King Abdullah is £2,000,000 a year. Approximately 40 British officers, including its commander, Brigadier Glubb, are serving with King Abdullah's Transjordan Legion. Brigadier Glubb was seconded to the legion from the Palestine police, but the majority of the remainder are officers seconded from the British Army. Of the 40 officers, 10 have joined the legion under private arrangements, and are not susceptable to British control. New Position Arises In view of the fact that the United Nations Security Council, at Britain’s suggestion, called for a truce in Palestine an interesting position has arisen now that the Arabs have refused to follow the Jewish lead and agree to the cease fire. , , „.. . This may be interpreted by Britain as an action contrary to her policy and may serve as a reason for withdrawing British support from King Abdullah. . . The swing in American opinion caused by reports of the legion’s attack upon Jerusalem is exemplified by a leader in the usually pro-British New York Herald Tribune. “It was possible to sympathise with the British desire to extricate themselves from the mess in which they had become involved in Palestine,” says the paper. “It was less easy to understand'this passive connivance in Arab intervention now that the British have cast off all responsibility for the welfare r.f Pnlpqfinp “The fact that the British seek to hide behind legal technicalities makes their course no more acceptable,” the paper continues. “ Much better uses could be found for the British officers, arms, and money that are being used against the Jews. “ The British Government might well consider whether there is any objective it is likely to achieve in Palestine that is worth the price Britain will pay in goodwill all over the world for connivance in Arab aggression.”