British Troops Reach Palestine to Help Maintain Order; Weizmann Received by Byrnes

The air-borne division of the British Eighth Army arrived in Palestine today as the vanguard of heavy troop reinforcements the British Government is planning to send into Palestine to prevent possible disturbances there. Their arrival coincided with the return to Jerusalem from London, of Lord Gort, Palestine High Commissioner, who has been absent soveral months.

Zionist circles here revealed today that U.S. Secretary of State Byrnes, who is now in London attending the Council of Foreign Minister, received Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Jewish Agency, and had a lengthy talk with him on Palestine problems.

Although British newspapers continue to carry dispatches from their Palestine correspondents declaring that Palestine is a volcano nearing eruption, and predicting uprisings by either Arabs or Jews, depending upon in whose favor Britain decides, well informed observers of Palestine affairs today expressed disagreement with this view-point. They pointed out that the Jewish community in Palestine will not use the methods of the Irgun Leumi or the so-called “Stern Group” – the illegal terorist groups which recently merged, and which engage in sabotage of government property or assaults on individual British officials.

On the other hand, it is realized here that the Jewish community in Palestine is firmly resolved not to accept or tolerate any immigration or land restrictions, Also that the Jews in Palestine will combat any measures taken by the Palestine Government to prevent the surviving European Jews from entering the country and that they are ready for any sacrifices even if they entail the loss of Jewish lives.

Some observers here believe that Arab leaders and politicians would like to see disturbances in Palestine. However, it is known that many Arabs who are working with Jews, and who achieved considerable prosperity during the war, are reluctant to encourage any trouble in the country because they fear that they may lose what they have gained.

In this connection it was revealed today that when strong rumors were circulated of a forthcoming partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab zones, under which the Arab towns of the Jenin and Tulkarem district would be joined to Transjordan, the Arabs living in these towns sought to remain in the projected Jewish zone.

The prevailing opinion here is that if any disturbances break out in Palestine they will be the result of outside intervention and influence, including that of neighboring Arab countries which are themselves more of a volcano than Palestine. The situation within Syria is full of tension, while Egypt threatens anti-British out-breaks if no agreement is reached with Britain regarding elimination of British control over Egyptian territory.