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Government Queried on Palestine in Commons

November 18, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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QUERIES ON ITALIAN PROPAGANDA, UNEMPLOYMENT IN PALESTINE AND THE PROPOSED PARTITION OF THE COUNTRY WERE REPLIED TO BY THE GOVERNMENT DURING QUESTION TIME TODAY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS AT PRESENT STUDYING FULL REPORTS ON ITALIAN PROPAGANDA IN PALESTINE, FOREIGN UNDERSECRETARY LORD CRANBORNE REVEALED. HE SAID THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF CONSULTATION BETWEEN FRANCE AND BRITAIN REGARDING THE FUTURE OF SYRIA AND PALESTINE RESPECTIVELY, ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENTS FORMALLY INFORMED EACH OTHER OF DEVELOPMENTS AS A MATTER OF COURTESY.

ASKED BY GEOFFREY MANDER, LIBERAL, ABOUT THE COMMISSION WHICH THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO SEND TO PALESTINE TO FRAME A CONCRETE PARTITION PLAN, WILLIAM G.A. ORMSBY-GORE, COLONIAL SECRETARY, SAID THE QUESTION “IS ENGAGING MY ATTENTION BUT I AM NOT YET IN A POSITION TO MAKE A STATEMENT.”

ASKED WHETHER HE WAS CAREFUL NOT TO TAKE ACTION PLACING THE CONTROL OF BRITISH POLICY IN THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS, MR. ORMSBY-GORE REPLIED, “CERTAINLY.”

HE DECLINED TO SPECIFY, IN REPLY TO A QUERY BY R.T. FLETCHER, LABORITE, WHAT CONDITIONS WERE ESSENTIAL BEFORE THE COMMISSION WOULD BE SENT TO PALESTINE, POINTING OUT THAT THIS “MUST DEPEND ON GENERAL CONDITIONS.”

REPLYING TO CHARGES BY WILLIAM GALLACHER, COMMUNIST, THAT ARAB WORKERS WERE BEING DISPLACED BY JEWS, THE COLONIAL SECRETARY DECLARED THAT AS A RESULT OF THE ARAB STRIKE AND DISORDERS, THE GENERAL TENDENCY WAS FOR JEWISH EMPLOYERS TO REPLACE ARAB WITH JEWISH LABOR. THE GOVERNMENT IS CONSIDERING THE UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION, HE SAID, AND WILL ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR RELIEF IF IT BECOMES NECESSARY. ACCORDING TO LATEST FIGURES, 4,500 JEWS AND 11,500 ARABS WERE UNEMPLOYED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.

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