Jews Ask Britain to Clarify Stand on Homeland; New Roundtable Parley Held

The Jewish conference committee, in a final effort to break the deadlock over the Palestine question, today authorized the Jewish Agency Executive to make a written request of the British Government for clarification of its position and intentions regarding the Jewish national home.

Meanwhile, a surprise was sprung by the British Government when it arranged a third informal meeting of individual members of the British, Jewish and Arab — Egyptian, Saudi Arabian and Iraqi delegations at the St. James Palace tonight.

The Jewish Agency message, it is understood, will advise the Government that the Jews are ready to discuss any suggestions, even those involving termination of the League of Nations mandate, that assure the continued organic growth of the Jewish national home. The statement will also declare that if the Jews are given assurances that continued development of the Jewish homeland is part of the Government’s policy, the Jews will be ready to submit alternative suggestions to the British plan for an independent state as a basis for resumption of formal Anglo-Jewish talks.

Should, however, British policy mean the liquidation of the national home or crystallization at its present level, the communication will assert, then there is no basis for further discussion. The letter will express the Jews’ willingness to discuss any proposals which do not involve either domination of the Jews by the Arabs or relegation of the Jews to the position of permanent minority.

The conference committee, which comprises the negotiators and advisers representing various Jewish parties, decided not to disperse, as it had intended, but to postpone a decision on this question until the Government’s reply to the Jewish Agency message is received. The Palestinian representatives, scheduled to leave for home today, will remain, except for Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog. However, the American Jews will not be represented after today, since Robert Szold and Louis Lipsky are sailing for New York tomorrow and Dr. Stephen S. Wise sailed last Saturday.

The conference committee’s decision was taken after the Jewish Agency Executive this morning had canvassed the situation and discussed most of the proposed solutions of the Palestine problem which might be used as a basis for alternative suggestions. It is understood that among the plans discussed were:

(1) Cantonization — Division of Palestine into semi-autonomous Arab and Jewish units with a central legislature. Immigration into the Jewish zones would be unrestricted.

(2) Bi-national state — Establishment of an independent state within a federation of Arab states after a ten-year transitional period during which immigration would be permitted until the Jews reached 42 per cent of the population. There would also be Jewish-immigration into other Arab countries. During the interim, an Arab-Jewish legislative assembly would be set up in Palestine on a 50-50 basis and a constitution for the state would be drawn up at the end of the ten years.

NO action was taken, however, and the question was left for consideration after the Government’s statement is received. The committee also heard a report on last night’s informal Anglo-Jewish talk, which was said to have proceeded stormily. The Jews were understood to have repeated their insistence on retention of the Palestine mandate and again outlined their position on such questions as immigration. They were said to have referred to the fact that the Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1937 had expressed willingness to explore the possibility of a settlement by some form of a partition of the Holy Land. The British representatives were understood to have repeated that the Government was not committed to its suggestions for establishment of an independent state, but did not indicate that they would withdraw the plan in favor of alternative suggestions, although they were believed to have offered some slight modifications.

Meanwhile, the Anglo-Arab subcommittee completed discussion of the British suggestions and Arab counter-suggestions. Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald told the Arabs that at the next meeting, which will probably be held on Thursday, the Government may be ready to make observations and to advance more concrete suggestions in the light of the discussions. He also stated that he has referred several points to High Commissioner Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael for advice and information. It is understood that the Cabinet tomorrow will consider the nature of the proposals to be submitted to the Arabs.

The Anglo-Arab talks concluded with a discussion on the question of immigration, Jamal Husseini, head of the Palestine Arab extremist delegation, complaining of alleged illegal immigration of 40,000 Jews. Asked by Husseini what the British Government intended to do in the matter of illegal entry, Mr. MacDonald replied that a “strong line” would be taken. The Arab leader also spoke on the question of land, admitting the Jews were not dispossessing the Arabs but asserting that there was no sufficient arable land for the Arab population.

In discussing constitutional questions, Mr. MacDonald is understood to have made it clear that he did not have in mind a fixed transition period which, he said, should be determined by the measure of Arab-Jewish cooperation developed. On the question of safeguarding the Jewish minority, Mr. MacDonald reportedly proposed a form of cantonization for an interim period, with local autonomy and a central legislature based on numbers. Decisions on questions such as immigration, however, would require a majority vote of both Arabs and Jews, with the High Commissioner having veto powers and the deciding vote where the majorities disagree.