resentment and suspicion which could not be otherwise. The British government is determined to do all in its power to dissipate the unhappy atmosphere that has been created and to find a means of settlement which will place the whole question on a sounder, and more satisfactory basis, reconciling as far as is humanly possible the conflicting elements in the situation.”
TWO-FOLD TASK IN PALESTINE
Referring to the “two-fold task in Palestine,’ Dr. Shiels stated that Great Britain’s task is not only the establishment of the Jewish National Home but also “the preservation of the civil and religious rights of non-Jews in the country. It is sometimes said that the two parts of this obligation are irreconciliable but we believe that they can and must be reconciled, that the Jewish National Home can be established without detriment to non-Jewish interests and it can and will confer a lasting benefit upon the country in which all sections of the population will share.”
PRAISES JEWISH ACHIEVEMENTS
The British spokesman declared that he wished to take the opportunity of publicly associating the British government with the opinion expressed in the Shaw Commission’s report as to the “benefits that had been conferred upon Palestine by the remarkable enterprise and devotion of the Jewish people. The experiment of setting up the Jewish National Home may be described as unprecedented and inevitably involving certain risks of mutual misunderstandings and conflicts of interests.”
Dr. Shiels said that Great Britain has had a difficult job in dealing effectively with these problems because in this effort “things have been done at times which provoke attacks from those who do not fully trust the British government. Despite all criticisms merited and unmerited, I make bold to claim that this work has been discharged from the beginning with fairness and with a substantial measure of success.”
APPRECIATES JEWISH IDEALS
He informed the Mandates Commission that “no administrative measures that have been taken or may be found to be necessary must be taken to imply any failure on our part to appreciate the noble ideals that underline Jewish aspirations in Palestine or the unique character of their actual achievements in the country. It is our earnest hope and fixed determination that means will be found to permit two ancient civilizations, Jewish and Arab, to develop side by side under conditions which will become more and more harmonious”.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
