Britain Warned Not to Encourage Arab Nationalism, Danger to Jewish Interests Cited

A warning that Arab nationalism, although presently directed against France, may eventually threaten British interests in the Arab countries and the interests of the Jewish National Home in Palestine was sounded today by the Manchester Guardian, leading liberal daily.

The paper warmly supports Gen. de Gaulle’s proposal that the relations of the Arab countries to the Western Powers should be considered as a whole by the great powers, and not be limited to the French-Syrian dispute only. “The United Nations could then make plain to the Arabs that they, too, must make concessions for the sake of world peace,” the Manchester Guardian says.

The article reminds the British Government that in spite of appeasing the Arabs by closing the doors of Palestine to Jewish immigration, Britain had trouble in Egypt and in other Arab countries during the war. “The Arab peasant,” the article says, “is not likely to distinguish too carefully between French and British imperialism. He may argue that if he can get rid of the one, he can also get rid of the other. In the long run we, too, may find it difficult to reconcile the promises to the Jews in Palestine and our economic and strategic interests in Egypt and in Iraq with our present encouragement of Arab nationalism.”