Demands for abrogation of the Balfour Declaration and Palestine mandate, stoppage of Jewish immigration and land buying and creation of an Arab State were presented this evening at the opening session of the Anglo-Arab negotiations after the sudden reconciliation of the Palestine Arab extremists and moderates.
With the British Government having announced that the Arab discussions would open at five p.m. today — separate talks with the two factions if necessary — a compromise agreement was announced this afternoon under which the extremists agreed to include Ragheb Bey Nashashibi, head of the Palestine Arab Defense Party, and Yacoub Faraj, vice-president, in their delegation.
It was announced later in the afternoon, however, that Nashashibi would not appear at this evening’s session because of what was described as a sudden illness. Faraj has not yet arrived in London. Thus, the moderates actually were not represented at the opening session. A resolution was adopted unanimously at the meeting expressing regret at Nashashibi’s illness and expressing best wishes for his recovery.
The session was held in the Picture Gallery of the St. James Palace, where the opening ceremonies of the conference had been held on Tuesday, with Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax and Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald representing the Government. Jamal el Husseini, cousin of the exiled ex-Mufti of Jerusalem, briefly recapitulated the Arab case in English and translated it into Arabic for the benefit of his colleagues. After procedure had been discussed, the session was adjourned until Saturday, when the British will make observations on the proposals contained in Husseini’s statement.
The British negotiators will comment on the principles advanced last night by Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Jewish Agency, at the second session of the Anglo-Jewish negotiations at 10:30 o’clock tomorrow morning. The Jewish representatives at the session will be Dr. Weizmann, Prof. Selig Brodetsky, Dr. Nahum Goldmann, Harry Sacher, Dr. Stephen S. Wise; Rabbis Ben-Zion Uziel, Isaac Herzog, Moshe Blau and Meir Berlin; Isaac Ben-Zvi, Robert Szold, Berl Katznelson, Lord Bearsted, Lord Reading, Prof. L.B. Namier, Leonard Stein, Moshe Shertok, Menachem M. Ussishkin and five Jewish observers.
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