Palestine Restrictions Recommended by Mr. French Will Exceed Those of Sir John Hope Simpson Arab Qua

Although the utmost secrecy surrounds the first report drawn up by the Director of Palestine Development, Mr. Lewis French, and his second report is still in preparation, and all forecasts made with regard to its contents are therefore pure conjecture based on hearsay, it is confidently asserted, however, in Arab quarters that the restrictions which will be proposed by Mr. French will exceed those of Sir John Hope Simpson.

It is believed that Mr. French will recommend: 1. The settlement of displaced Arabs, whose numbers are still under investigation, though Mr. French infers the existence of a landless class on the basis of the claims submitted, while making allowance for a certain percentage of rejections; 2. the settlement of Jews; and 3. the relief of congestion in the hill districts.

Evidently holding that there are no unoccupied stretches of land in Palestine, Mr. French, it is claimed, recommends legislation enabling the Government to acquire through its own agency lands for settling both Arabs and Jews, and also that the Government should control and restrict land transactions throughout the country, with a specific prohibition against transfer in certain fertile areas.

It is known that the Arabs have endeavoured to persuade Mr. French that the Jews already own more land than they are entitled to in the best and most fertile zones.

To facilitate the control and checking of land transfers, Mr. French, it is said, proposes legislation on the lines of that existing in India, to make a fixed minimum holding of a cultivator his inalienable property.

It is understood that Mr. French’s views in general envisage longrange development activities.

It is not believed, however, that the Government will adopt a proposal for the enforcement of countrywide land restrictions, or that it will accept a recommendation barring Jews specifically from definite areas in Palestine.