Britain Does Not Plan to Surrender Palestine to U.N. Trusteeship, Smuts Intimates

Britain has no intention of surrendering her mandate for Palestine to United Nation trusteeship, it was intimated today by Prime Minister Jan Christian Smuts of South Africa.

Discussing the trusteeship system at the meeting of the Trusteeship Committee, Smuts pointed out that the U.N. Charter makes it a voluntary, rather than an obligatory matte, for nations to submit their mandates to trusteeship. “This, no doubt, accounts for the fact,” he said, that Palestine has “so far been excluded from the trusteeship system.”

Ivor Thomas, British member of the Committee, spoke about Britain’s colonial policy and her submission of African mandates for trusteeship but ignored the question of Palestine. He maintained that Britain was fulfilling all her obligations under the Charter.

U.N. STEERING COMMITTEE TO DECIDE ACTION ON EXTERMINATION OF MINORITIES

The steering committee of the General Assembly today deferred until tomorrow the question of including on the agenda a proposal to recognize genocide, or the extermination of racial and national minorities, as a crime against humanity.

Supporters of the recommendation contend that its approval will plug a loophole in the Nuremburg judgment which ignored genocide in the final decision, although mentioning it in the indictment. Jurists emphasize that there is nothing in the Nuremberg decision to prevent a nation from destroying its minorities in time of peace.

Under the resolution presented by Cuba, India and Panama, the Social and Economic Council would be required to report on the possibilities of declaring genocide an international crime and organizing international action for its prevention and punishment. It points out that less important crimes such as piracy and white slavery are matters of international concern, but that at present each state is the sole judge of genocide in its own territory in peace time. It recommends that nations pass their own laws outlawing genocide.

Also before the committee is an apparent attempt by the Arab League to detract attention from the Palestine issue by spotlighting Jewish troubles in central and eastern Europe. Egypt introduced a resolution urging the Assembly to condemn religious and racial persecution and discrimination in Europe which “give rise to serious and complex social problems requiring urgent remedy.”

UNITED NATIONS ASKED TO EFFECT THE REPEAL OF LAWS PROHIBITING SHECHITAH

A declaration by member states of the United Nations that they will issue no laws or administrative measures prohibiting the ritual slaughter of animals, and that all legislation having the effect of prohibiting or restricting the practice of this method shall be repealed, is proposed in a study just issued under the title “Religious Freedom: The Right To Practice Shechitah” sponsored by the Agudas Israel World Organization and the American Jewish Committee.

The two organizations, which have long been opposing legislation aimed at outlawing ritual slaughter, point out that in their vigorous defense of the institution, they not only helped to protect a “time-honored religious rite but also struck a blow for that most cherished principle-religious freedom.”