M.p.’s Friendly to Arabs Hold Partition Must Be Accepted

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WHO HAD RECENTLY ASSURED PALESTINE ARABS THEY WERE PREPARED TO ACT IN COMMONS TO SAFEGUARD THEIR INTERESTS, AT A MEETING TODAY AGREED THAT THE GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF PARTITION MUST BE SUPPORTED.

IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE DEBATE ON THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT WILL BE HELD NEXT WEDNESDAY INSTEAD OF TUESDAY AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. THE DISCUSSION WILL BE HELD SIMULTANEOUSLY IN BOTH HOUSES. SINCE NO LEGISLATION IS INVOLVED, NO VOTE ON THE REPORT WILL BE TAKEN.

FULL INFORMATION REGARDING THE PROPOSED PARTITION OF PALESTINE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT BY GREAT BRITAIN, COLONIAL SECRETARY WILLIAM G.A. ORMSBY-GORE ANNOUNCED TODAY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY GEOFFREY MANDER, LIBERAL, ON WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT’S DECISIONS ON PALESTINE POLICY HAD BEEN TRANSMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES, MR. ORMSBY-GORE SAID:

“UNDER THE CONVENTION OF 1924 WE ARE BOUND TO SUBMIT ALL DOCUMENTS CONNECTED WITH PALESTINE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THAT HAS BEEN DONE.”

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ANNOUNCED HE WOULD DISCUSS DURING THE COMMONS DEBATE THE PROCEDURE THE GOVERNMENT IS FOLLOWING IN SUBMITTING THE PARTITION PLAN TO THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS MANDATES COMMISSION.

THE JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT OF THE TIMES, WRITING ON PARTITION’S PROSPECTS, ASSERTS THE GRAND MUFTI’S MAINTENANCE OF HIS PRESENT POSITION (OF STRONG OPPOSITION) IS AN OBSTACLE TO ANY CONSIDERATION OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT.

“IF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT REALLY WANT IT TO GO THROUGH,” HE WRITES, “IT WOULD HELP ENORMOUSLY IF THEY ANNOUNCED AN ELECTION FOR A NEW PRESIDENT OF THE MOSLEM SUPREME COUNCIL, TO BE HELD AT AN EARLY DATE.”

JABOTINSKY WARNS OF SOCIALIST DOMINATION, ASKS PARTITION DELAY

A WARNING THAT THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE TO BE CREATED BY PARTITION OF PALESTINE WOULD BE DOMINATED BY SOCIALISTS UNDER THE SET-UP NOW CONTEMPLATED WAS VOICED TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT LAST NIGHT BY BLADIMIR JABOTINSKY, LEADER OF THE NEW ZIONIST ORGANIZATION.

MR. JABOTINSKY HURRIED HERE FROM ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, AFTER PUBLICATION OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT RECOMMENDING PARTITION. ADDRESSING A GROUP OF M.P.’S OF VARIOUS PARTIES IN A COMMITTEE-ROOM OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, HE PLEADED FOR POSTPONEMENT OF PARTITION.

HE COMPLAINED THAT FOREIGN SECRETARY ANTHONY EDEN HAD ALREADY APPLIED TO THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS FOR PERMISSION TO BRING THE PLAN BEFORE THE LEAGUE MANDATES COMMISSION, WITHOUT THE JEWS AND ARABS HAVING TIME TO OFFER SOLID MEMORANDA TO COMBAT A REPORT OF THE CHARACTER OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S 404-PAGE DOCUMENT.

THEN, IN SEPTEMBER, MR. JABOTINSKY DECLARED, THE LEAGUE COUNCIL WILL BE ASKED TO GIVE ITS CONSENT TO ABOLISHING BRITAIN’S MANDATE FOR PALESTINE.

“IF SOME VOICES IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS SAY ‘DON’T RUSH,’ IT WOULD ENCOURAGE MEMBERS OF THE MANDATES COMMISSION NOT TO BE RUSHED,” MR. JABOTINSKY SAID.

WARNING OF THE DANGER OF CONSTITUTING A JEWISH STATE WHERE SOCIALISTS WOULD HAVE A MAJORITY, MR. JABOTINSKY SAID THE WHOLE JEWISH PEOPLE WOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

“THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THAT WILL BE THAT ANTI-SEMITES WILL SAY THE JEWS HAVE SUBVERSIVE TENDENCIES,” HE DECLARED, “WHEREAS IN OTHER COUNTRIES THE MAJORITY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE NOT SOCIALISTIC.”

URGING APPOINTMENT OF A NEW COMMISSION TO TAKE EVIDENCE REGARDING THE PARTITION PLAN, MR. JABOTINSKY CHARGED THAT THE ROYAL COMMISSION HAD NOT HEARD WITNESSES ON THIS SUBJECT, AND THAT THE PROPOSAL WAS NOT A RESULT OF THE COMMISSION’S INVESTIGATION, BUT AN AFTERTHOUGHT.