SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES FACING THE PARTITIONING OF PALESTINE, AND GRAVE DANGERS WHICH WILL BESET THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE, WERE EMPHASIZED IN EDITORIALS TODAY IN THE LIBERAL WEEKLIES THE NATION AND THE NEW REPUBLIC.
BOTH MAGAZINES REFRAINED, HOWEVER, FROM PASSING FINAL JUDGMENT ON THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S PLAN FOR ENDING THE HOLY LAND’S TROUBLES.
TERMING PARTITION ” AN AWKWARD WAY OUT OF THE PROBLEM,” THE NEW REPUBLIC DECLARED THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION HAD NOT TOUCHED ” THE MOST SERIOUS OF ALL PROBLEMS IN PALESTINE,” — POVERTY.
” IF THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION COULD HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF MALDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH IN BOTH THE JEWISH AND ARAB COMMUNITIES, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ON NEED FOR SUCH HEROIC MEASURES AS HAVE NOW BEEN PROPOSED. BUT MAGNIFICENT COMMON SENSE OF THIS SORT IS PERHAPS HARDLY TO BE EXPECTED, AND LEAST OF ALL FROM A ROYAL COMMISSION.”
THE NATION WAS MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE CHANCES THAT PARTITION WILL SUCCEED, THOUGH IT DECLARED: ” FROM AN ECONOMIC POINT OF VIEW IT IS MANIFESTLY ABSURD TO DIVIDE A TINY COUNTRY OF NOT MORE THAN 10,000 SQUARE MILES INTO THREE DISTINCT POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC UNITS.” IF THE PLAN IS APPROVED BY THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NOT STAND IN THE WAY, THE MAGAZINE SAID.
” ONCE THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTITION IS ACCEPTED THE DETAILS OF THE COMMISSION’S PLAN STAND OUT AS A REASONABLE COMPROMISE,” THE NATION HELD.
THE CHIEF DANGER LIES IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE, THE EDITORIAL SAID, WITH ARAB AND ZIONIST FEELINGS AT HIGH PITCH. AFTER THE NEW STATES ARE ESTABLISHED FRICTION MAY DIMINISH, IT SAID.
BUT, THE NATION WARNED, THE JEWISH STATE WILL “STRUGGLE UNDER TREMENDOUS HANDICAPS.”
” THE DIFFICULTIES WILL BE MAGNIFIED IF THE SOCIALISTS GAIN CONTROL OF THE NEW STATE, AS SEEMS PROBABLE,” THE NATION SAID. ” NO MATTER HOW MODERATE OR WISE SUCH A GOVERNMENT’S POLICIES MIGHT BE, THEY WOULD BE HELD UP AS A TERRIBLE EXAMPLE OF JEWISH RADICALISM. AND JEWISH CAPITALISTS FROM WHOM AID WOULD STILL BE NEEDED MIGHT FIND IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO RECONCILE THEIR BELIEF IN A JEWISH NATIONAL HOME WITH THEIR BITTER OPPOSITION TO SOCIALISM.”
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.
