The Foreign Office here, in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today, categorically denied reports which have appeared in the press abroad that Premier Mussolini has concluded a secret pact with Arab leaders in Palestine against Great Britain in the event of war.
“The report is completely without any foundation,” the Foreign Office state.
The discredited story, featured in the Arab press in Palestine, alleged that Mussolini had promised the Arabs of Palestine and Syria national independence if they revolted against England in the event of war. An Arab newspaper in Palestine, El Jamia el Islamia, published what it described as a photostatic copy of a document containing the essence of the agreement between Mussolini and the Arab leaders.
The report caused a sensation not only in Palestine but also in other countries interested in the Palestine Mandate.
It is understood that the Palestine government and the Colonial Office in London have asked Arab leaders for an explanation. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, whose name appears in the alleged document, explained to the Palestine government that he knows nothing about the purported agreement with Rome.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
