A two-hour informal meeting between British and Jewish representatives ended inconclusively last night. Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald was understood to have declared that the Jewish national home interests would be safeguarded, but the Jewish delegation was not satisfied with the vague assurances and sought to find out what specific safeguards would be offered under any plans the British might advance for the future of Palestine. Immediately after the Jewish session, Mr. MacDonald saw Ragheb Bey and Fakhri Bey Nashashibi, moderate Palestine Arab leaders.
Last night’s meeting with the Jews was called to discuss a letter by the Jewish Agency Executive asking guarantees that continued development of the Jewish national home would be safeguarded under any plans the British might advance. The letter catalogues a number of possible plans and declares the Jews are willing to accept any of these as a basis for further discussions. First on the list is establishment of a Jewish state in part of Palestine, with provisions for adequate immigration and land settlement. The others refer to cantonization and political parity.
Before the meeting, it was considered likely that the Government, at this late stage, would not agree to revert to other bases for discussion, but would proceed with presented at plans for creation of a federal state upon Swiss lines. The Government was represented at last night’s talks by Mr. MacDonald and Foreign Undersecretary Richard A. Butler. The Jewish delegation was headed by David Ben Gurion, chairman of the Agency’s Jerusalem Executive, and included Lord Reading.
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