British Press Charges Palestine Administration with Inefficiency

The departure of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry for Palestine to conduct its investigation into the Arab outbreak in the country, has stimulated the British press to renewed comment on the recent events.

Editorially and in despatches, responsibility for the attacks upon the Jewish population is placed upon the inefficiency of the Palestine administration, and the demand is made that the present officials be dismissed, in the columns of the “Daily Mail” and the “Daily Chronicle.”

The “Daily Chronicle,” in a correspondence from its Jerusalem representative, charges the Palestine Government with permitting the Palestine Mandate to become a dead letter. The Palestine Government ignored its most essential duties, imposed upon Great Britain, the correspondent declares, citing Article 6 of the Mandate under which the administration is bound to facilitate Jewish settlement, allotting crown and waste lands, the Government has given land to the Arabs, but none to the Jews.

In order to achieve the successful execution of the Mandate, it is essential to reconstitute the Palestine Government, the despatch further states, because since 1921, when outbreaks occurred, nothing has been done in order to set the administration to work under a proper vigorous policy in accordance with the Mandate. The correspondent further suggests the reorganization of the Palestine civil service and the enforcement of the British Mandate as the most important reforms.

Discussing the Palestine situation, the “Daily Chronicle,” in an editorial, suggests the lines which the Inquiry Commission should follow in its investigation. We are not suggesting there (Continued on Page 4)

We cannot escape the certain conclusion, the editorial states, that we have been ill-served in Palestine. There has been a lamentable lack of judgment dealing with the Arab-Jewish grievances and some fundamental changes are overdue. These matters must be looked into by the Commission if they are to recommend the “steps necessary to avoid a recurrence” of the outbreaks.

The “Daily Mail,” which has mainatined an unfriendly attitude toward Jewish efforts in Palestine and has published vigorous attacks, has in the last week undergone a change of attitude, definitely retreating into the field of impartiality.

The paper publishes an interview by its Jerusalem correspondent with Daniel Hopkin, Socialist, M. P. in which the entire blame for the disorders is placed upon the Palestine administration. Charging the Palestine administration with incompetence, and lack of foresight, Mr. Hopkin stated that he has definite evidence the Government had been warned by the Jews of Jaffa. Safed and Jerusalem of Arab preparations for an uprising. Mr. Hopkin stated his disbelief that the trouble arose out of the Wailing Wall dispute, stating that the Wailing Wall is merely an incident in the plan made by one man or a small body of men.

It is necessary to replace the local police by a strong body of British police, the British M. P. declared, because when troubles arose, the first thing the officers were compelled to do was to disarm their own local police.

If we cannot send our best administrators to tackle the most difficult task, we had better clear out altogether, Mr. Hopkins concludes.