PALESTINE RULE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19372, 9 July 1937, Page 5

PALESTINE RULE

PARTITION PROPOSALS OUTLINE OF BOUNDARIES ARAB AND JEW STATES PROBLEMS OF FINANCE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 7. The report presented by the Palestine Royal Commission gives the opinion that while neither the Arabs nor the' Jews can fairly rule all Palestine, each race might justly rule part of it.

With regard to the frontier between the proposed new States, it was recognised that a commission would have to be appointed for its precise demarcation, but a rough indication of the frontier is given as follows: —

Starting from Ras An Naqura, it follows the existing northern and eastern frontiers from the Palestine Lake to Lake Tiberias, and crosses the lake to the outflow of the River Jordan, whence it continues down the river to a point a little to the north of Beisan. It then cuts across the Beisan Plains and runs along the southern edge of the Valley of Petreel and across the Plain of Esdralion to a point near Megidde, whence it crosses the Carmel bridge in the neighbourhood of the Megidde road. Having thus reached the maritime plain, the line runs southwards down the eastern edge, curving west to avoid Tulharm, until it reaches the Jerusalem-Jaffa corridor, near Lydda. South of the corridor it continues down the edge of the plain to a point about 10 miles south of Behovot, when it turns west to the sea.

The mandatory administration, says the commission, would undertake to support certain financial and other provisions. Access to Sea With regard to the new mandate formed, with the execution of the sacred trust of civilisation over the holy places, the commission recommends that an enclave should be demarcated, extending from a point north of Jerusalem to a point south of Bethlehem, and access to the sea should be provided by a corridor extending to the north of the main road and to the south of the railway, including (the towns of Lydda and Ramleh, and terminating at Jaffa.

The commission adds that it would be in accord with Christian sentiment in the world at large if the Nazareth end of the Sea of Galilee were also covered by the new mandate for holy places.

The mandatory administration should also be charged with the protection of religious endowments and of such buildings, monuments, and places in the Arab and Jewish State as are sacred to the Jews and Arabs respectively.

The report discusses at some length the principle for the proposed partition which the commission followed, and proceeds to consider the capacity of the Jewish area. The Jews, it says, would acquire a new right of sovereignty in the Jewish area. That area, as defined in the report, would be larger than the existing area.

.*~ 4 * J * fc " Division of Public Debt

It is suggested, therefore, that the Jewish State should pay subvention to the Arab State if the partition comes into effect, the amount to be fixed after being reported upon by the finance commission, which should also consider the report on the proportion in which the public debt of Palestine, now amounting to £4,500,000, should be divided between the Arab and Jewish States, and other financial questions. This inter-State subvention would adjust the financial balance in Palestine.

The plan, however, involves the inclusion of the Transjordan in the Arab State. The taxable capacity of the Transjordan was very low, its revenue never having sufficed to meet the costs of its administration. In the event of the treaty system coming into force, therefore, Parliament should be asked to make a grant of a capital payment of £2,000,000 to the Arab State in lieu of its present annual liability in respect of the Transjordan. It is suggested that it should be an essential part of the proposed treaty system that a commercial convention should be concluded with a view to establishing a common tariff over the widest possible range of imported articles, and to facilitate the freest possible exchange of goods among the three territories concerned.. Exchange of Population

Other matters for settlement under the treaties would include the nationality question and the taking over by the Government of Palestine for development and the security of industries.

It is recognised that if the partition is to be effective in promoting a final settlement, sooner or later there should be a transfer of land, and, as far as possible, an exchange of population. The treaties should, accordingly, provide that if the Arab owners of land in the Jewish State or Jewish owners of land in the Arab State should wish to sell their land and any plantations or crops there, the Government of the State concerned should be responsible for the purchase of such land at a price to be fixed, if required, by the mandatory administration. For this purpose loans should, if required, be guaranteed for a reasonable amount.

With regard to minorities, the commission says that the question must be boldly faced and firmly dealt with, and that it calls for the highest statesmanship on the part of all concerned.

Other recommendations in the report deal with the transition period before the new regime comes into force, and during this period the existing mandate would continue to be the governing instrument of the Palestine administration.