A demand for the creation of a parliament in Palestine, in which the various sections of the Palestine population are to be represented according to their numbers, the numbers to be determined by religious affiliations, is contained in the memorandum which has just been presented by the Palestine Arab Executive to the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations.
The Palestine Arab Executive bases its demand for a parliament upon Article 22 of the League of Nations constitution and upon Article 2 of the Palestine Mandate. Nevertheless their memorandum states that they do not recognize the Palestine Mandate, regarding it as an illegal document.
The Arabs of Palestine will be offered a legislative council immediately by the British government as an initial measure towards the eventual creation of the representative government they have been asking for Palestine, the New York World’s Geneva correspondent cables on reliable authority.
The World’s dispatch says that the announcement of the establishment of the legislative council will come through the High Commissioner of Palestine as soon as the inquiries now under way by the League of Nations Wailing Wall Commission and Sir John Simpson are completed.
The proposed legislative council would consist of one representative for every 25,000 Palestine inhabitants, which on the basis of the present population would mean six Jewish representatives and 34 Arabs and Christians. For the time being, the World reports, the British administration will insist upon reserving the executive and judicial power to the Mandatory power and will also retain the veto power over the legislative council as a safeguard against discriminatory legislation and the authority to formulate necessary laws, which the council might refuse to enact.
The World’s correspondent cables that in the highest Moslem sources it is learned that Conservative Arabs are inclined to accept anything that Great Britain offers, provided it does not mean relinquishment of their ideal — the creation of a sovereign Palestine state.
It is also understood that a majority of the members of the Mandates Commission would approve immediate establishment in Palestine of a parliament with legislative powers, but only provided Great Britain continues its administration of the affairs of the country in accordance with the terms of the existing Mandate.
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