British-jewish Talks Make Progress; New Rift in Arab Ranks

While British-Jewish discussions in the conferences on Palestine made progress today, factional differences broke out again among the Palestine Arab representatives, authoritative Arab quarters reporting that yesterday’s agreement between moderates and extremists for a united delegation has already broken down.

Talks on the Jewish case, as outlined by Jewish Agency President Chaim Weizmann Wednesday night, were started this morning by Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald. After the session, which lasted ninety minutes, Jewish delegates expressed satisfaction with the progress made.

Official quarters, meanwhile, declared they had no information on the newest developments with regard to the Palestine Arab delegation. However, Ragheb Bey Nashashibi, leader of the moderate faction who was taken diplomatically ill yesterday thus preventing his attendance at the conference of the Arab delegation with the British officials, was reported by his associates as likely to remain “indisposed” for the duration of the conferences. Nuri Pasha es-Said, Iraqi Premier, and Fuad Bey Namsa, of the Saudi Arabian delegation, today called at the Nashashibists’ hotel in an effort to patch up the new difficulties.

Doubts that Yacoub Farraj, who was to represent the moderates at the conference together with Nashashibi, would be able to attend any of the sessions were expressed by a member of the Nashashibist delegation. It was pointed out that Farraj, who is an elderly man, will have to rest for several days following the strain of an arduous trip from Palestine and will probably find the London climate bad for his health. The attitude of the Nashashibists is that Ragheb Bey was forced to yield yesterday to the combined pressure of the British Government and the Arab states when he signed the agreement.

At today’s British-Jewish session, a short discussion of principles followed Mr. MacDonald’s observations. There was no official statement after the meeting. The next session of Jews and British will be held Monday afternoon at 3:45 o’clock. Beginning next week, it was announced, meetings will be held twice daily, with fewer delegates attending. Discussion of definite details will be instituted at these meetings.

Text of last night’s speech by Jamal al Husseini was officially released today. It reveals that he voiced the following demands on behalf of the Arabs: 1) Recognition of the right of the Arabs to complete independence; 2) abandonment of the attempt to establish a Jewish national home in Palestine; 3) abrogation of the League of Nations mandate and its replacement by a treaty similar to that with Iraq, creating a sovereign Arab State in Palestine; 4) immediate cessation of all Jewish immigration and sale of land to Jews.