Between the Lines

It appears that the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations will pay more attention to Palestine at its present session in Geneva than ever before.

The discussion which opens tomorrow at the Mandates Commission on the report of the Palestine government is scheduled to last two days. Not since the Palestine riots of 1929 did the report of the Palestine government provoke such a lengthy discussion.

The fact that Prof. Brodetsky, head of the political department of the Jewish Agency, has gone to Geneva, is evidence that the matters which will be discussed by the Commission are of great importance to the Jewish future in Palestine. It shows that despite the economic prosperity of Palestine, certain dangers are in the air for the Jewish political rights there.

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY DANGER

The establishment of a Legislative Assembly is one of these dangers. Although the Jewish Agency in its recent fight succeeded in having the establishment of such an Assembly postponed for the time being, it was definitely reported at the last session of the Zionist Actions Committee in Jerusalem that this project has not been killed. On the contrary, it was emphasized that it may come up again in the very near future.

The Mandates Commission supports the idea of establishing a Legislative Assembly in Palestine. A number of its members look upon the projected Assembly as a sort of Democratic Parliament in which Jews, Arabs and the Mandatory Power will be equally represented.

ZIONISTS AGREED IN 1921

The difficulty of the Jewish position with regard to the Legislative Assembly lies in the fact that in 1921 the Zionist Organization practically gave its consent to the British government to have such an Assembly established. Warned that unless they agreed to the establishment of such a body in Palestine the League of Nations would not ratify the Mandate over Palestine, Zionist leaders, headed by Dr. Weizmann, against their better judgment, gave their consent.

Now the High Commissioner of Palestine demands that this agreement be kept. The Colonial Office in London concurs in the demand. The Mandates Commission in Geneva has not had its say on this subject as yet, but may do so at its present session.

WHAT THE ASSEMBLY MEANS

The establishment of a Legislative Assembly in Palestine at this time, when the Jews are still a minority in the country, means hampering the upbuilding of Palestine as a Jewish National Home. It also means that the chances of ever proclaiming Palestine a Jewish State will become very remote.

Although the Legislative Assembly, according to the present project, will not deal with immigration matters nor with questions concerning land transactions, it will actually be the Parliament of the country, once it is established. It will be in a position to promulgate laws which will certainly not be in the interests of Jewish development.

CURBING CITIZENSHIP FOR JEWS

One of the first steps which it is feared the projected Assembly would take is to amend the Citizenship Law in Palestine so as to make it difficult for Jews to become naturalized. Such a step would prevent the Jews from ever becoming a majority in Palestine. No matter how large the Jewish immigration into Palestine, the majority of immigrants might under such a law, be forced to retain the status of foreigners for many years. The Legislative Assembly, if established, could also promulgate new taxation laws that would hit Jewish industry, commerce and investments.

The fight against the establishment of a Legislative Assembly is, therefore, one of the most serious facing the Jewish Agency today. The present session of the Mandates Commission in Geneva may have something to say about this fight, if the discussions on Palestine will actually last two days, as scheduled.