Tension between Jews and Arabs here on the issue of whether the major of Jerusalem should be an Arab or a Jew – precipitated by the recent death of the Moslem mayor Mustapha Bey Khalidi – increased today when Arab aldermen threatened to boycott the sessions of the municipal council unless an Arab is appointed mayor, while Jews insisted that the new mayor must be a Jew since the majority of the inhabitants and taxpayers of Jerusalem are Jewish.
The Arab press is supporting the demand of the Arab alderman for the appointment by the Palestine Government of an Arab mayor. The Jewish press, on the other hand, warns that if a Jewish mayor is not appointed, the Jews of the city will insist that the government divide Jerusalem into Jewish and Arab sections with separate municipal councils.
Authoritative sources today stated that the Palestine Government will not take any action on the mayoralty issue until Lord Gort, the newly appointed High Commissioner, reaches Palestine and acquaints himself with the problem.
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