The long-disputed question whether the mayor of Jerusalem should be a Jew or an Arab has finally been settled by the High Commissioner of Palestine in favor of the Arabs. A compromise was reached, however, in that one of the two vice mayors should be a Jew.
It remains to be hoped that the new mayor, Dr. Khaldi, will not follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Nashashibi, whose actions compelled the Jewish members of the municipality to leave their offices, thus handing the entire municipal administration of Jerusalem over into the hands of the Arabs.
By finally settling the question of the mayoralty in Jerusalem, the High Commissioner of Palestine can now proceed to accomplish his aim of putting the new municipalities in Palestine into working order. It is on the basis of how these municipalities will function that the question whether or not a legislative council should be established in Palestine hinges.
THE LEAGUE’S TURN
The Council of the League of Nations has agreed to take up the question of the fate of the Saar refugees at its present session.
What will the Council do? It will probably hand over the entire matter to Mr. James G. MacDonald, the High Commissioner for Refugees from Germany, What will Mr. MacDonald do? He will again appeal for funds to the same Jewish organizations which have been maintaining his office since the very first day of its establishment.
The League of Nations is directly responsible for the fate of the Jewish and other refugees from the Saar, since it sanctioned the treaty with Germany guaranteeing security for Jews in the Saar for only one year. Referring the problem of the Saar refugees to Mr. MacDonald is, therefore, not sufficient. The League must also make it possible for Mr. MacDonald to conduct his work. It must secure for him not only good will but actual funds.
It is not proper for a Commissariat established by the League of Nations and supervised by representatives of different governments to exist on funds coming solely from Jewish organizations. The Council of the League of Nations now has a good chance to impress upon the world that Mr. MacDonald’s office is an integral part of the League of Nations and not a voluntary relief office. This can be done only by a decision of the Council that the League assign funds for Mr. MacDonald’s activities for the refugees.
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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.
