The British Government made public today its report to the League of Nations on its administration of Palestine under the League’s mandate during 1935.
Rendering account of its stewardship of the troubled Holy Land, the report analyzes the current restlessness, ascribing it in part to the contagion of the Italo-Ethiopian war and the Egyptian unrest and to Arab discontent arising from Jewish immigration and sale of land to Jews.
Although public security was well maintained, the report states, the latter part of the year was not free of tension and Arab discontent arising from Jewish immigration and sale of land to Jews.
This condition was constantly manifested, it declares, by vehement speeches and strongly worded articles in the press which reached their climax following the death of Sheikh Iz-ed-din, who was slain by police in a battle with brigands.
Announcement of the legislative council plans of the Government, according to the report, exercised a tranquillizing effect.
The report reveals that 61,854 Jewish immigrants entered the Holy Land in 1935, of whom 6,309 are capitalists, bringing with them a minimum of $5,000 each. A total of 1,557 persons were found to have entered the country illegally, of whom 565 Jews were sentenced and recommended for deportation. Of the total illegal immigrants, 1,079 were deported, 245 of them being Jews.
Jewish immigrants, the report declares, continued to gravitate mostly to the towns, but there was a slight movement at the year’s end to the settlements.
Unemployed Jews in December totalled 6,000.
Reviewing Jewish affairs, the report states the differences between the Vaad Leumi (Jewish National Council) and the Agudath Israel, extreme orthodox organization, were noticeably less acute. A similar improvement is noted in the relations between the Histadruth, Palestine labor federation, and the Revisionists, right-wing Zionists.
Analyzing Arab affairs, the report describes the crystallization of the Arab political organizations into parties and the development of a degree of harmony in their representations to the Government.
Revenue during the year ending March, 1936, is put at £57,939,270.
Sales of land during the year totalled 187,000 dunams, valued at £11,720,000. Citrus planting area was increased by 28,000 dunams. Bank deposits amounted to £16,000,000 as the year ended.
Local industries continued to make progress although some were closed temporarily on account of foreign competition, resuming operations in 1936 under the tariff protection.
“The prosperity enjoyed by the Jewish community in 1934,” the report states, “was sustained during 1935 and manifested itself in a widening of activities until towards the year-end the uncertainty communicated by the international situation led to a general restriction and contraction of investment building and industry.”
‘The municipal council continued to function satisfactorily,’ the report continues, and the urban administration is tending to improve.
An increase in crime is noted in the report.
“European crooks in Tel Aviv,” it states, “are indulging in crimes almost unknown in Palestine a few years ago, such as counterfeiting, safe-breaking, passport and visa forgeries, and bank frauds.”
Communist activity, the report says, continued to demand constant police surveillance.
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.
