DIFFERENCES OF OPINION IN CABINET CIRCLES HAVE FAILED TO SHAKE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FROM ITS DETERMINATION TO PARTITION PALESTINE INTO ARAB AND JEWISH STATES AND A BRITISH CORRIDOR IT WAS LEARNED AUTHORITATIVELY TODAY.
A NEW PALESTINE COMMISSION, WHOSE TERMS OF REFERENCE ARE EXPECTED TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK IN AN OFFICIAL WHITE PAPER, WILL HAVE A WIDER SCOPE THAN ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED, IT IS BELIEVED, BUT THIS IS UNDERSTOOD TO BETOKEN NO CHANGE IN POLICY.
WITHIN THE PAST WEEK THE COLONIAL OFFICE HAS OFFICIALLY DENIED ANY CHANGE IN POLICY, AND IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT ZIONIST CIRCLES HAVE RECEIVED SIMILAR ASSURANCES WITHIN THE PAST FORTNIGHT.
THE CABINET CLEAVAGE WAS REPORTED BY THE LABORITE DAILY HERALD, WHICH SAID LEADING MINISTERS, INCLUDING SIR SAMUEL HOARE, EARL ZETLAND AND LORD HALIFAX WERE PRESSING PRIME MINISTER CHAMBERLAIN TO ABANDON PARTITION.
THIS FACTION IN THE CABINET, ACCORDING TO THE HERALD, WOULD LIMIT THE JEWISH NATIONAL HOME TO A PERMANENT MINORITY IN AN ALL-ARAB STATE ON THE GROUND THAT PARTITION IS IMPOSSIBLE IN THE FACE OF ARAB HOSTILITY. THE NEWSPAPER FURTHER DECLARES THAT AGITATION IS BEING DIRECTED AGAINST COLONIAL SECRETARY WILLIAM ORMSBY-GORE AND THAT HIS RESIGNATION IS BEING CANVASSED.
THE HERALD ALSO STATES THAT ANTI-ZIONIST JEWS AND LEADING BRITISH JEWS, BEING UTILIZED BY THE CABINET OPPOSITION, ARE SEEING THE MINISTERS PRIVATELY. ACCORDING TO THE PAPER, ZIONIST LEADERS HELD A SECRET MEETING YESTERDAY TO DISCUSS THE GRAVE SITUATION.
WHILE BRITAIN REMAINS COMMITTED TO PARTITIONING PALESTINE, THE GOVERNMENT IS INCLINED TO ALTER PROPOSED BOUNDARIES IN FAVOR OF THE ARABS, IT WAS INDICATED TODAY IN AN EDITORIAL IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE EAST, WHICH MIRRORS COLONIAL OFFICE POLICY. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT REMAINS FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT DIVIDING PALESTINE IS THE BEST POLICY, THE WEEKLY ASSERTED IN AN EDITORIAL CAPTIONED “POLICY IN PALESTINE.”
“THE NEW PALESTINE COMMISSION WILL CONSIST OF EXPERTS, PARTICULARLY ON FINANCE AND DEFENSE, “SAID THE PERIODICAL. “IT WILL NOT BE BOUND BY THE TENTATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION REGARDING FRONTIERS.
“SURPRISE WOULD, IN FACT, BE FELT IF IT RECOMMENDED INCLUSION WITHIN THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE OF NEARLY A QUARTER OF A MILLION ARABS. IF ANYTHING, IT IS CERTAIN THE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL NOT BE IDENTICAL WITH THOSE WHICH ROUSED THE FURY OF THE ARABS. OTHER BOUNDARIES OF THE JEWISH STATE AND PASSAGE OF TIME MAY INDUCE A CHANGE IN ARAB PERSPECTIVE.”
THE GOVERNMENT IS INFLEXIBLY RESOLVED TO PARTITION THE COUNTRY IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF JEWS AND ARABS ALIKE, THE WEEKLY SAID, AND BRITAIN WILL RETAIN A CONNECTION WITH PALESTINE, NOT ONLY DIRECTLY, BUT ALSO BY TREATIES WITH THE FUTURE ARAB AND JEWISH STATES.
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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.
