THE SIXTH (POLITICAL) COMMISSION OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS ASSEMBLY TODAY CONCLUDED ITS DEBATE ON PALESTINE WITH ALL SPEAKERS RECOMMENDING THAT AN “ATTITUDE OF EXPECTANCY” BE ADOPTED AT THE PRESENT JUNCTURE IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT THE COUNCIL HAS ALREADY AUTHORIZED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE EXAMINATION OF THE PROBLEM.
THE FINAL SESSION WAS FEATURED BY A SOLEMN WARNING AGAINST THE DANGERS OF PARTITIONING PALESTINE UTTERED BY EAMON DE VALERA, PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH FREE STATE AND ITS MINISTER FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS.
WHILE RECOMMENDING THE ASSEMBLY ADOPT AN EXPECTANT ATTITUDE WITHOUT PREJUDGING THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION, MR. DE VALERA DECLARED:
“PARTITION IS NOT THE SOLUTION. IT IS THE CRUELEST WRONG THAT COULD BE DONE ANY PEOPLE.”
THE IRISH LEADER VOICED PESSIMISM ON THE PROSPECTS OF FINDING A PROPER SOLUTION OF THE QUESTION, ASSERTING IN A STATEMENT DIRECTED PARTICULARLY AT THE MEXICAN DELEGATE WHO HAD EXPRESSED HOPE THAT A SATISFACTORY SOLUTION WOULD BE FOUND, THAT HE BELIEVED IT COULD NOT BECAUSE IRRECONCILABLE CANNOT BE RECONCILED.
VOICING THE OFFICIAL ATTITUDE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, VISCOUNT CRANBORNE, UNDER-SECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DECLARED HIS GOVERNMENT ONLY ASKED AND HAD RECEIVED THE COUNCIL’S PERMISSION TO STUDY THE PROBLEM, CONCENTRATING ON PARTITION AS A SOLUTION.
PAUL BONCOUR OF FRANCE ASSERTED THAT THEORETICALLY PALESTINE WAS PART OF THE WHOLE JEWISH PROBLEM, WHICH WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL COMPLICATIONS SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BY THE LEAGUE, BUT PRACTICALLY IT WOULD COMPLICATE MATTERS BY DEALING NOW WITH THE WHOLE JEWISH PROBLEM. M. BONCOUR SAID HE THEREFORE ENTIRELY AGREED WITH THE BRITISH VIEWPOINT.
LITTLE ENTENTE BACKS COUNCIL
SPEAKING IN THE NAME OF THE LITTLE ENTENTE, THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN DELEGATE PRAISED THE MANDATES COMMISSION AND ALSO THE COUNCIL FOR WHAT HE TERMED ITS WISE PROCEDURE IN AUTHORIZING FURTHER STUDY OF THE PARTITION PROBLEM.
“THE LITTLE ENTENTE,” HE DECLARED, “TO WHOM IMMIGRATION POSSIBILITIES FOR JEWS TO PALESTINE ARE MOST IMPORTANT, HOPES A SOLUTION WILL BE FOUND FOR CONTINUATION AND INCREASE OF JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO PALESTINE.”
THE IRANIAN DELEGATE OBJECTED TO THE SUGGESTION THAT THE PALESTINE PROBLEM BE STUDIED AS PART OF THE WHOLE JEWISH QUESTION ON THE GROUND THAT THE JEWISH PROBLEM WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRESENT DIFFICULTIES IN PALESTINE. HE URGED A SOLUTION THAT WOULD GUARANTEE TO RESPECT ARAB RIGHTS IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY AND AT THE SAME TIME WOULD CONCILIATE WHAT HE CALLED THE LEGITIMATE INTERESTS OF THE JEWS.
THE IRAQI REPRESENTATIVE ASKED WHY EUROPEAN STATES WHICH DESIRED AN OUTLET FOR THEIR SURPLUS POPULATIONS INSISTED THAT THE JEWS EMIGRATE AND WHY THEY CHOSE AN ARAB COUNTRY FOR JEWISH IMMIGRATION, INSISTING THAT IT BE FORCED TO RECEIVE THEM.
“WHY DO NOT THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WHICH ARE SO GRATEFUL TO THE JEWS FOR THEIR CULTURE,” THE IRAQI DELEGATE CONTINUED, “OFFER THE JEWS A PIECE OF THEIR OWN LAND?”
HE DENIED THAT LORD BALFOUR EVER INTENDED THAT AN INDEPENDENT JEWISH STATE BE ESTABLISHED IN PALESTINE, SINCE HE WOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN AWAY THAT WHICH WAS NOT HIS TO GIVE.
THE IRAQI REPRESENTATIVE HOWEVER JOINED WITH OTHER SPEAKERS IN URGING ADOPTION OF AN ATTITUDE OF EXPECTANCY, BUT REITERATED HIS BELIEF THAT NEITHER PARTITION NOR ANY POLICY DESIGNED TO TRANSFORM A MINORITY INTO A MAJORITY WOULD NOT SOLVE THE PALESTINE PROBLEM. THE ONLY SOLUTION, HE CONCLUDED, WAS ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT ARAB STATE WITH STRONG CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES FOR THE LIBERTIES OF ALL ITS CITIZENS.
THE SIXTH COMMISSION IS EXPECTED TO DISCUSS ITS REPORT ON THE PALESTINE QUESTION TOMORROW BEFORE A PLENARY SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY.
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.
