The provisions of the Palestine Mandate of the League of Nations regarding the establishment of a Jewish National Home are given in the preamble of the treaty with Great Britain signed in London today, according to a statement issued by the State Department today. The scope of the treaty, however, is limited to defining the rights of the American Government and its citizens in Palestine and does not touch further upon the subject of the Jewish National Home.
The treaty has been under negotiations for more than two years, the delay in signing it, it is understood, being due principally to the changes in the British Government.
The treaty, in its principal provisions, is similar to the treaty already concluded with France regarding Syria and Lebanon, which has entered into effect and which provides that the United States and its nationals shall enjoy all rights and privileges assured to the states who are members of the League of Nations. The treaty also provides that, subject to the provisions of local law for the maintenance of public order and public morals, nations of the United States will be permitted to establish and maintain educational, philanthropic and religious institutions.
The statement authorized by the State Department with regard to the signing of the treaty reads as follows:
“It will be recalled that the territory of Palestine is now being administered by Great Britain, pursuant to the terms of a mandate approved by the League of Nations, which entered into force on Sept. 29, 1923.
“The treaty between the United States and Great Britain in its principal provisions is similar to the treaty already concluded by this Government with France with respect to the mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, which has entered into effect. The Palestine mandate treaty provides that the United States and its nationals shall enjoy in the mandate territory all the rights and privileges assured to States members of the League of Nations under the terms of the mandate. It also provides that, subject to the provisions of local law for the maintenance of public order and public morals, nationals of the United States will be permitted freely to establish and maintain educational, philanthropic and religious institutions.
“In the preamble to the treaty, which includes the text of the mandate itself, reference is made to the fact that the United States of America, by participating in the war against Germany, contributed to her defeat and to the defeat of her allies in the territories transferred by them. In this connection it will be recalled that Turkey, under the Treaty of Lausanne of July 24, 1923, renounces all right and title over territories situated outside the frontiers laid down in that treaty. This renunciation included the territory covered by the Palestine mandate.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
