Government Believed Swayed by Commons Anti-council Views

It was generally believed in Parliamentary circles today that the strong disapproval of the projected Palestine legislative council voiced during last night’s general debate in the House of Commons in bound to have great influence on the Government.

The consensus of newspaper comment is that the reply of J.H. Thomas, Colonial Secretary, to the attacks on the project did not dispel the uneasiness of the House about it. All papers remarked on the practically unanimous hostility to the proposed legislative body evinced by the members.

The Times, in a lengthy editorial in connection with the debate, declared that while the Jews are a minority in the Holy Land, “they are a minority which has every claim to have its interests carefully safeguarded.” “Why not make haste slowly,” the editorial asked, “and give understanding time to grow under the protection of impartial authority which can be trusted to deal justly with the Jews and Arabs alike?”

The editorial added that the council was not desired by any section of Palestine’s population.

The Government was believed to be giving consideration to Winston Churchill’s declaration during the debate that Great Britain was not pledged as to the specific time of establishment or the composition of the council, and to his plea that the Government not rush into constitutional experiments.

It was generally conceded that had a vote been taken in Commons yesterday, the project would have been overwhelmingly defeated. No vote could be taken because the discussion was technically on the Consolidated Fund Bill.

In Parliamentary circles it was said that Mr. Thomas had made an unconvincing case for the council and that he had failed to establish the necessity for immediate action in setting it up.

It was pointed out that the only supporter of Mr. Thomas was one Tory, Briggen Clifton-Brown.