BRITAIN’S POLICY IN PALESTINE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21216, 10 December 1938, Page 17

BRITAIN’S POLICY IN PALESTINE

Outlined in House of Lords Proposed Conference Approved Arabs’ Expression of Gratitude General Amnesty Desired British Official Wireless RUGBY, December 8. In the debate on Palestine in the House of Lords nearly all the speakers agreed with the Government’s decision to hold discussions in London. Lord Harlech said that 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 the 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 through 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 the round table conference was to make it perfectly clear that British administration would go on in Palestine. Federal Principle Suggested The Marques of Lothian suggested that the introduction of the federal principle might go far to solve the problem and that a great d«al 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 violence. He believed it would be possible to get co-operation between the two races in Palestine. Government Defended The Marques of Dufferin and Ava, replying for the Government, denied that there was any truth in the charge that the Ministers had rushed with undue haste into accepting the policy of partition. The Government had to act, and it 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 a 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 some other means appeasement was reached in Palestine.

ATTITUDE OF ARABS APPRECIATION OF GOOD WILL GESTURE United Press Association —By Eiectru Telegraph Copyright JERUSALEM, December 8. Arab circles have indicated to the Colonial Secretary (Mr Malcolm Macdonald) that they appreciate the conciliatory gesture for the release of deported Arabs and it is suggested that an amnesty for Arabs and Jews who are detained locally would help to ensure goodwill. The hoped return of those deported would lead to the Higher Arab Committee choosing an interparty representation at the London Conference.