No offer of a legislative council of any kind was made by Prime Minister MacDonald or Lord Passfield, Colonial Minister, in the course of their interview with the Arab delegation, as was announced last week by Azmi Nashashibi, who accompanied the delegation, it was learned today by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from a good source. The Premier and Lord Passfield merely discussed broadly some lines on which they could negotiate but at the same time made it clear that any proposals that the Arab delegation makes must be within the terms of the Mandate.
Any demands for a parliament in Palestine being inconsistent with the Mandate could therefore not be negotiated. It is known that the Premier and the Colonial Minister informed the delegation that Great Britain could not carry out the Mandate if the Arabs were given a legislative council. The Arabs are reported to have been informed that it was up to them to make proposals now since any proposals made by Great Britain to them in the past had been rejected.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency learns on reliable authority that the Premier made no offer of any kind to the Arabs, merely indicating that an Arab Agency would be a proposal acceptable for further negotiations. Surprise was also expressed at the unfounded rumors that have been spread by the members of the Arab delegation.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
