Major Daniel Hopkin, Labor Member of Parliament, Sees Palestine Question One for America As Well As

That the question of the future of Palestine is as much a problem for America as it is for Great Britain and the League of Nations, was a statement made by Major Daniel Hopkin, Labor member of the British Parliament, on his arrival here on the S. S. Olympic for a two weeks’ stay in this country under the auspices of the Zionist Organization of America. Major Hopkin, who is a noted military figure, being one of the four surviving officers of the army that landed in Gallipoli in 1915, and who won the Military Cross for his services in the three battles of the Somme and at Ypres, recently visited Palestine for an extended visit to investigate the causes of the August 1929 riots which aroused world attention.

In commenting upon the situation in Palestine as it affects the entire world, Major Hopkin declared that American and English Jewish leaders are doing their best to secure harmony with the Arabs in Palestine, but stated that these leaders would do nothing that would mean the certain destruction of Jewish creative work in the Holy Land.

In his statement, Major Hopkin said in part:

“The question of the future of Palestine is a world question. It is as much the business of America as it is of Great Britain or anyone of the countries that form the League of Nations. The Mandate gives to the British Government an international sanction, and as such, it is a moral question that must certainly interest every American citizen.

“It is safe to say that public opinion in England was shocked by the brutality and thoroughness of the murders, as well as by the obvious ineptness displayed by the British Administration in Palestine. This feeling of horror has now passed to one of alertness as to the future. The English people are determined that in the future the avowed policy of the country shall be carried out by an Administration who are at least in sympathy with such policy. The people who carry out the policy must be loyal to that policy.

“The struggle will be carried on very shortly on the floor of the House of Commons. There is a very strong Parliamentary group which is favorable to the Zionist aspirations, and the members certainly will form a very strong and effective force in the discussion of the report of the Shaw commission. This group consists of members of the three parties.

“The first step will be a discussion on the report of the Shaw Commission. But it is now clear that a wider and more authoritative Commission will have to be appointed to go into the question of the major policy, and in this, the evidence of such men as Lord Balfour, Lloyd George, and Gen. Smuts will be of the greatest importance. There can be no possible doubt that the Jewish record in the last ten years will be the dominating factor in the formation of any decision to which such a Commission will come. The Jewish record is an absolutely marvelous one, taken from every point of view,—creative, artistic, cultural, or political.

“But in spite of the brutal murders committed by the Arabs, there seems to me to be a great need for a policy of peace. These two peoples must live together in peace, and it is clear that the leaders of the Zionist Organization both in England and in America, are only too ready to do all in their power to bring about a peaceful solution. But this does not mean that they are prepared to hand over to the Arabs the certain means of destruction of their creative work which it has taken the Jews the last ten years to accomplish

“I have the best reason for saying that Great Britain will be true to the policy of the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate, but, with the very greatest respect, I shall submit to my American friends that this is not enough, unless along with another such declaration Britain takes in hand the setting up of an administration in Palestine which will, in fact, carry out what the country has pledged itself to.”