Measures against squatters and to eliminate insecurity of land tenure were urged today before the Royal Commission by a Jewish attorney named Horowitz. He said that at present, land transactions do not give immediate right of possession and the owner cannot exercise self help against trespassers.
Questioned by Lord Peel, the chairman, on whether there was any remedy for the situation, Mr. Horowitz proposed that the Government protect the owners’ rights and, secondly, that trespassers be made to prove their right to enter the property.
Sir Laurie Hammond asked what suggestions the witness had on displacement of Arabs by land purchasers. Mr. Horowitz replied that the Arabs are provided with alternative land, but that they prefer blackmail, some of them refusing to exchange the land for political reasons.
Continuing his testimony before the Commission yesterday, Dr. Maurice Hexter, of the Jewish Agency’s Palestine executive, said that Jewish settlement did not affect the amount of cultivable land available.
He declared that the Jews have done a great deal to develop the country, especially in the fields of health, drainage and irrigation, adding that the Government has done little.
The New York Times quoted Lord Peel as expressing the opinion at yesterday’s hearing of the Royal Commission, that the Jewish Agency should have pressed its claim for State domains to which it is entitled according to the mandate. “It is not enough to have claims against a government, you must press your claims,” he 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.
