The startling revelation that the Arabs in Palestine are planning a campaign with the object of having the Palestine mandate turned over to Italy was made here today by Dr. J. Taylor, an Oxford dean, upon his return from Palestine.
Addressing the Oxford Rotary Club, the British educator disclosed that while in Palestine he learned that Arab leaders, being dissatisfied with the British administration in Palestine, are turning their eyes towards Italy and are seriously considering the possibility of the Italians taking over the mandate.
WOULD WELCOME ITALY
“Italy,” he said, “is quite evidently doing all she can to make herself known and agreeable in the Near East. Many of the Arabs are becoming more and more eager to be under an Italian regime rather than under the British, which, they allege, is unduly favoring the Jews.
“The Arabs are ready for a Jewish massacre,” Dr. Taylor continued. “Many of them are quite outspoken in saying that they are waiting for the next war in which Britain is involved to rise up and drive the Jews into the sea. The British High Commissioner in Palestine has to exercise a great deal of tact.”
Speaking about the Jews, Dr. Taylor emphasized that most of the Jews in Palestine today are not religious. “It’s a great mistake to think that the Jews are bringing back the religion of their fathers,” he said. “A great many of them are purely materialistic.”
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