That Ibn Saud, king of Nejd, the new power in the Pan-Arabic movement, is watching how the problem of Palestine will be settled, was the statement made by Ameen Rihani, noted Arab author and propagandist in this country, in a conversation which he had with Rabbi Louis I. Newman of San Francisco, where Mr. Rihani recently spoke on the Palestine situation. Rabbi Newman tells of this conversation in his syndicated column, “Telling It in Gath,” of this week.
“If Great Britain settles the problem of Palestine rightly,” said Mr. Rihani, “Ibn Saud will be silent; if wrongly, Ibn Saud will be silent. In the first instance, it will be a static silence; in the second, a dynamic silence, which will require a huge British military force on the borders of Palestine.”
“It is obvious that Mr. Rihani does not consider unlikely the threat of future violence in Palestine,” says Rabbi Newman in commenting on the above statement. “It is therefore highly desirable that political propagandists of all parties and races be exceedingly cautious of their words.”
Mr. Rihani told Rabbi Newman that he believed that the recommendations of Dr. Magnes “with modifications” were an approach to a rightful solution. Asked whether Palestine might become a bi-national commonwealth, Mr. Rihani did not give a decisive reply.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
