The question of the Negab, the desert section of Southern Palestine, is again attracting attention in England in connection with Anglo-American discussions regarding Palestine which are expected to take place here soon.
The Manchester Guardian, leading liberal newspaper, carries an article quoting experts as estimating that water could be secured for 100,000 settlers in the Negeb by preservation of rain water alone, while the possibilities of tapping underground water have not yet been fully explored.
“This experiment,” the paper writes, “could be made only by people commanding resources and modern science and engineering, and who are prepared to sink great capital and spare no sacrifice. Only the Jews have these qualification.” The article concludes by expressing the hope that the British Government will not repeat the error made by the Peal Commission and will not separate the Negab from any projected Jewish state.
Lord Winster, writing in the current issue of Time and Tida, declares that “Jews are a brave people who want to have Palestine not for wealth but for refuge from merciless persecution. To say that the Arab renaissance depends on their controlling Palestine is just as if France would say today that she can never revive unless she has the Channel Islands,” he adds.
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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.
