Palestine Development Scheme: First Part of Mr. French’s Report in Hands of Government: but Second P

The first part of the report of Mr. Lewis French, the Director of Palestine Development, who was appointed last July, outlining in general terms the question of Palestine development, is now in the hands of the Palestine Government and the Colonial Office, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learns to-day.

A second part of Mr. French’s report has still to be prepared, however, at the request of the Government in which he is to submit concrete proposals and recommendations.

This second part of the report, which is the essential part of the report, is not yet ready, and therefore any forecasts of the conclusions arrived at by Mr. French, or his recommendations, must be regarded as premature.

Upon enquiry by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the Colonial Office has authorised the publication of the following statement:

The report referred to is preliminary and of general character. It is expected that there will shortly be a second report in which specific proposals will be made. When the second report is available, both reports will be communicated by the High Commissioner to the Jewish Agency and the Arab Executive in Palestine for their observations in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Government despatch regarding the Development Scheme.

His Majesty’s Government, it is stated, will not take any decision until both reports, with those observations and the High Commissioner’s recommendations, have been received here and have been fully considered.

Meanwhile, the statement says, all accounts purporting to give the contents of Mr. French’s report should be regarded as pure speculation and entirely unauthorised.

(The dispatch published by Lord Passfield when Mr. French was appointed stated that he was to submit his report or such interim report as can be completed not later than December 31st., 1931. The High Commissioner, before submitting recommendations to the Government would invite the observations of the Jewish Agency and the Arab Executive upon the practical proposals of the scheme and afford them an opportunity of making representations regarding such proposals as have not already received the concurrence of the Jewish and Arab advisers-who have not been appointed by either the Jewish or Arab side. The Government will then decide whether effect should be given to the report and its recommendations or to which of them, and in what manner).

The statement has reference to a report appearing in the current issue of the “Jewish Chronicle” which says that Mr. French’s report, which is not written for official publication, will prove a great shock to official Jewish and Arab agencies, since Mr. French has a great deal to say on the subject of Arab feudalism and Jewish national aspirations that will come as an unpleasant surprise to both parties. The main theme of his report is that of the alleged displacement of Arab peasants and farmer tenants. According to information, part of his report constitutes an ironic commentary upon the Jewish National Home and its possible ill effects upon Arab occupancy of the land. That the Jewish influx into Palestine is a grave menace to Arab rural development is in effect one of his premises, said to be accompanied by a recommendation for further curtailment of Jewish immigration. Another conclusion confirming Sir John Hope Simpson’s view is that the amount of land available for cultivation is very small and proposing a restrictive land transfer ordinance of a more thorough character than the one shelved by Mr. Thomas. If the report ever reaches the light of day in its present form, the “Jewish Chronicle” concludes, it will cause a greater furore than that of Sir John Hope Simpson, published last year.