THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT THREW ALL ITS RESOURCES TODAY INTO THE TASK OF PREVENTING BLOODSHED WHEN THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT RECOMMENDING TRIPARTITION OF THE HOLY LAND IS ANNOUNCED TOMORROW.
UNOFFICIAL ESTIMATES PUT THE TOTAL ARMED FORCES IN PALESTINE AT 18,000 TROOPS AND POLICE EQUIPPED WITH BATTLE PLANES, WARTANKS AND LIGHT FIELD ARTILLERY–ALL UNDER EMERGENCY ORDERS TO REMAIN IN READINESS TO QUELL DISORDERS.
TENSION WAS AT THE BREAKING POINT AS THE 900,000 ARABS AND 400,000 JEWS AWAITED THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT GREAT BRITAIN WILL SEVER PALESTINE INTO INDEPENDENT ARAB AND JEWISH STATES AND A PERMANENTLY BRITISH-MANDATED AREA.
HIGH COMMISSIONER SIR ARTHUR GRENFELL WAUCHOPE RETURNED BY AIRPLANE FROM EGYPT TO TAKE CHARGE OF THE SITUATION. ARAB SOURCES REPORTED HE WOULD CALL SEPARATE MEETINGS TOMORROW OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE AND THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW BRITISH GOVERNMENT POLICY.
ARAB GENERAL STRIKE RUMORED
AN UNCONFIRMED REPORT THAT THE ARAB ANTI-PARTITIONISTS, HEADED BY GRAND MUFTI HAJ AMIN EL HUSSEINI, WOULD CALL A GENERAL STRIKE THURSDAY IF DISSATISFIED WITH THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S FINDINGS FURTHER SURCHARGED THE ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERE OF PALESTINE.
THE RUMORS OF A STRIKE, SIMILAR TO THE ONE PROCLAIMED IN 1936 AGAINST JEWISH IMMIGRATION, WHICH LASTED SIX MONTHS AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY VIOLENCE THAT TOOK THE LIVES OF SOME 300 JEWS, ARABS AND BRITONS, FOLLOWED A MEETING OF THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE LAST NIGHT.
THE MEETING WAS CALLED IMMEDIATELY UPON THE RETURN FROM DAMASCUS OF THE GRAND MUFTI, WHO HAD BEEN VISITING THE SYRIAN CITY TO CONSOLIDATE MOSLEM OPPOSITION TO PARTITION.
FACED WITH A SPLIT IN THE ARAB RANKS OVER THE QUESTION OF DIVISION, THE COMMITTEE ADOPTED A RESOLUTION APPEALING FOR UNITY. THE MUFTI, WHO IS PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE, IS OPPOSED BY RAY NASHASHIBI, FORMER MAYOR OF JERUSALEM, WHO IS SIDING WITH EMIR ABDULLAH OF THE TRANSJORDAN IN FAVOR OF PARTITION.
THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT IS KNOWN TO PROVIDE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT JEWISH AND ARAB STATES, WITH A BRITISH-MANDATED CORRIDOR RUNNING FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN ARAB SEAPORT OF JAFFA TO AND INCLUDING JERUSALEM. BETHLEHEM AND NAZARETH WILL ALSO BE UNDER THE MANDATE.
JEWISH COUNCIL URGES CALM
AN APPEAL TO THE JEWISH INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE TO MAINTAIN QUIET AND ORDER AFTER PUBLICATION OF THE REPORT WILL BE ISSUED TOMORROW BY THE JEWISH NATIONAL COUNCIL.
THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE WILL MEET TOMORROW NIGHT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GOVERNMENT BROADCASTS ITS OFFICIAL RADIO SUMMARY OF THE REPORT, TO DECIDE WHAT ITS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE REPORT SHALL BE.
PRINTING OF THE ARABIC TRANSLATION OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION REPORT HAS BEEN COMPLETED, IT WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY, AND COPIES ARE BEING SENT TO EGYPT, SYRIA, IRAQ, HEDJAZ AND OTHER ARAB TERRITORIES.
THE ARABIC NEWSPAPER, FALASTIN, ASSERTED THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD DONATE £2,000,000 (ABOUT $10,000,000) FOR THE ARAB STATE TO DEVELOP FINANCES, ADMINISTRATION, POLICE AND ARMY. THE PRESENT PALESTINE TREASURY SURPLUS WILL BE APPORTIONED BETWEEN THE ARABS AND JEWS, THE REPORT SAID.
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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.
