British Colonial Secretary Arthur Creech-Jones today told the House of Commons that legally the United Nations had the authority to enforce the Palestine partition decision of the General Assembly and to send troops to Palestine even if a threat to the peace had not teen established.
He made this statement in opening the debate in Commons on the second reading of a government bill providing for the termination of the Palestine Mandate on May 15 Richard Butler, chief opposition speaker, announced that the opposition intends to vote for the bill. Sir Richard Acland, one of the 14 Labor members who signed a motion to reject the bill, said his group will vote against it became the bill “undermines the authority of the United Nations” Another laborite group introduced a motion reject the bill, on the ground that it fails to provide for the independence of Jewish and Arab states in Palestine.
Earlier today, a private meeting of the Labor party approved the government’s policy in Palestine by a large majority. It was, therefore, expected that the vote against the bill would be small, since the apposition also supports the government on this question. In defending the bill, the Colonial Secretary said the British people “will not tolerate any new commitment in Palestine after our biter and tragic experience.”
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