Syria Snubs Arab Appeal for Aid on Partition

SYRIA HAS VIRTUALLY REJECTED THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE’S APPEAL FOR AID IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST THE BRITISH PROPOSAL TO TRIPARTITION PALESTINE, IT BECAME KNOWN HERE TODAY.

IN A LETTER TO THE COMMITTEE, PREMIER JAMIL MARDAM DECLARED HIS COUNTRY (A FRENCH PROTECTORATE) WOULD TAKE NO DECISION WITH REGARD TO PALESTINE AFFAIRS BEFORE CONSULTATION WITH PARIS.

SINCE FRANCE IS CERTAIN TO TAKE NO ACTION ADVERSELY AFFECTING RELATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN, THE LETTER WAS INTERPRETED AS AN INDIRECT METHOD OF SNUBBING THE ARAB COMMITTEE.

HEBREW, 2 ARAB PAPERS SUSPENDED

THE AUTHORITIES TODAY SUSPENDED FOR A FORTNIGHT THE HEBREW DAILY NEWSPAPER, HABOKER.

IT IS BELIEVED THE SUSPENSION WAS THE RESULT OF ACID COMMENT ON THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO TRIPARTITION PALESTINE. PRIOR TO PUBLICATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE AUTHORITIES HAD WARNED ARAB AND JEWISH EDITORS TO REFRAIN FROM INFLAMMATORY UTTERANCES ON PAIN OF SUSPENSION.

TWO ARAB PAPERS YESTERDAY WERE SUSPENDED FOR SIMILAR REASONS. ADIFAA WAS SHUT DOWN FOR A MONTH WHILE AL LIWA WAS GIVEN A SIX WEEKS’ SUSPENSION. ACTION AGAINST BOTH WAS BELIEVED BASED ON THEIR PUBLICATION OF THE STATEMENT AGAINST PARTITION MADE BY PREMIER HIKMET SULEIMAN OF IRAQ.

ARAB UNITED FRONT IN MAKING

REWELDING OF THE ARAB UNITED FRONT, BROKEN ON THE QUESTION OF PROPOSED BRITISH PARTITION OF PALESTINE, APPEARED A STRONG POSSIBILITY AS THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE MET TO CONSIDER THE RETURN TO ITS FOLD OF RAGHEB BEY NASHASHIBI, FORMER MAYOR OF JERUSALEM, WHO SUDDENLY REVERSED HIS STAND SUNDAY TO JOIN THE RANKS OF THE ANTI-PARTITIONISTS.

ADHERENTS OF GRAND MUFTI HAJ AMIN EL HUSSEINI, PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE, EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE ARABS WOULD PRESENT A UNITED FRONT AT GENEVA WHEN THE MANDATES COMMISSION TAKES UP THE QUESTION.

UNIDENTIFIED ARABS DURING THE NIGHT CUT TWO KILOMETERS OF TELEPHONE WIRES NEAR BEERSHEBA, IN SOUTHERN PALESTINE.