Yesterday was the second anniversary of the very serious disturbances in Palestine which led to considerable loss of life and to a thorough reconsideration of our policy in that country, the “Manchester Guardian” writes in an editorial to-day. In spite of that reconsideration, with its sympathetic attitude to Arab grievances, the Government, it continues, has not been able to dispel unrest and dangerous agitation. Palestine at the moment is in a very disaffected frame of mind, as the rioting which yesterday followed the arrest of two Arab agitators showed. The subject matter of the present agitation is the Government’s decision to issue “sealed armouries” to outlying Jewish colonies, which the more disreputable Arab leaders are twisting into a charge of arming the Jews against the Arabs.
Actually, of course, it is nothing of the kind, the “Manchester Guardian” says, but merely a substitute for the police protection which, unfortunately, is not alone sufficient to safeguard the lives of Jewish citizens. The arms are locked up under seal so that they cannot be used without the Government’s finding out and punishing any improper use. It is the principle of the fire alarm or the emergency chain in a railway carriage. Under the circumstances this provision is necessary, for so widespread is Jewish uneasiness that a short time ago the American Consul brought before our authorities the question of the safety of American Jews.
But although sealed armouries are inevitable, the paper goes on, they are in themselves thoroughly undesirable. Self-defence by civilians is always dangerous even when, as in this case, it is carefully safeguarded. The proper method of safeguarding life and property is the maintenance of a police force of sufficient size and efficiency to ensure that crimes cannot be committed without the certainty of detection and punishment. But our vaccillating policy since 1929 has wrongly, though not altogether unnaturally, convinced many Arabs that we secretly sympathise with them against the Jews. The need for sealed armouries is a measure of the Government’s failure.
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