There can be no understanding between the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine on the basis of the Balfour Declaration nor can there be peace in Palestine so long as two nations there have conflicting aims, declared Emir Ardel Arslan, chairman of the Arab delegation to the United States that arrived yesterday from Palestine, in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. In addition to Emir Arslan, who is a Moslem, the delegation consists of Issa Bandalc, a Christian Arab, who is editor of the Arab paper, “Sout Aschaab,” published in Bethlehem.
“The only way that an understanding can be reached between the Jews and the Arabs is through the abolition of the Balfour Declaration,” declared Emir Arslan, who is the spokesman for the delegation. “We consider the Balfour Declaration as the most hostile act against the Arab nation. We have lived together in peace with the Jews in Palestine until political Zionism became an active force.
“We cannot recognize any foreign political power in our country and we consider the Zionists such a foreign power. We have no quarrel with the Jews in Palestine if they have no political ambitions. Until the issuance of the Balfour Declaration we were friendly to the Jews. As a matter of fact, whenever Jews were expelled from other countries we always welcomed them to our country,” declared the Emir, who is a scion of ancient Arabian royalty.
Pointing out that the Arabs have been in Palestine for twelve centuries and are the owners of the land, the Emir said that “their rights to this land cannot be denied just as the ownership rights of Americans cannot be nullified by the claims of the Indians. While we have maintained friendly relations with the Jews in Palestine until the promulgation of the Balfour Declaration, we now suspect every Jew in Palestine, even the Orthodox Jews who have lived there for many years, of being hostile to us and aiming at ruling our country.”
Asked whether there is a possibility of an understanding between the Zionists and the Arabs, the Arab delegation’s spokesman replied, “we do not see any way for such a rapprochement since the ambitions of the Zionists run directly contrary to our own aims. The Zionists want to flood the country with Jews and the Arabs cannot permit that.
“We shall always remember the words of Jabotinsky (Zionist Revisionist leader) when he said that the Zionists will only allow enough Arabs to remain in Palestine to be hewers of wood and carriers of water.” Admitting that Jabotinsky represents only a minority in the Zionist movement, Emir Arslan stated that “the eventual aims of Dr. Weizmann (president of the Jewish Agency) are identical with those of Jabotinsky, namely to rule our country.”
Asked what the Arabs offer as a solution for the Palestine problem, Emir Arslan said, “our aim is to establish in Palestine a native government with a parliament representing the entire population, Arabs as well as Jews. This is the principle object of the Arab delegation now in London where it is negotiating with the British government.
“Prior to the advent of Zionism we always treated the Jews well and we see no reason why they should now oppose a national government in Palestine.”
To a question whether the Arabs are prepared to open direct negotiations with the Zionists, Emir Arslan replied in the negative. “We have lost all confidence in the Zionists. They say one thing and do another. In 1922 I conferred with Dr. Weizmann in Cairo. He asked me then to serve as an intermediary to bring about an understanding between the Jews and the
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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.
