DISSATISFACTION WITH THE BRITISH EXPLANATIONS OF THE ARAB OUTBREAKS IN 1936 WAS EXPRESSED TODAY BY MEMBERS OF THE PERMANENT MANDATES COMMISSION, ACCORDING TO RELIABLE INFORMATION.
THE COMMISSION YESTERDAY EXAMINED THE QUESTION OF THE 1936 DISORDERS IN THE GREATEST DETAIL, MINUTELY QUESTIONING JOHN HATHORN-HALL, WHO WAS CHIEF SECRETARY OF THE PALESTINE ADMINISTRATION UNTIL RECENTLY.
MR. HATHORN-HALL DEFENDED THE ADMINISTRATION, DECLARING THE INSURRECTION HAD CAUGHT THE AUTHORITIES BY SURPRISE SINCE THEY HAD NO SUSPICION OF IMMINENT DANGER. HE EXPLAINED TO THE COMMISSION THE DIFFICULTY CONFRONTING THE FORCES OF SECURITY OWING TO THE NATURE OF THE TERRAIN, THE TYPE OF GUERRILLA ACTIVITIES AND THE AMORPHOUS AND SPORADIC CHARACTER OF SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENTS.
MR. HALL WAS QUESTIONED IN GREAT DETAIL ON THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE’S ABILITY TO CONTROL THE SITUATION, AND HE ALSO EXPLAINED AT LENGTH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S CONSIDERATIONS IN DEALING WITH THE ARAB COMMITTEE.
IT WAS CLEAR TODAY THAT THE COMMISSIONERS HARDLY CONSIDERED MR. HALL’S STATEMENTS A SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION.
THE COMMISSION’S WORK IN REACHING A CONCLUSION ON THE SCHEME TO DIVIDE PALESTINE INTO JEWISH AND ARAB STATES AND A BRITISH-MANDATED CORRIDOR HAS BEEN COMPLICATED BY INFORMATION SUBMITTED TO IT BY ARAB REPRESENTATIVES.
MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT, CONTAINING THE PARTITION RECOMMENDATIONS, FIGURE THAT THERE MIGHT EVEN BE AN ARAB MAJORITY IN THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE. (ACCORDING TO THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S ESTIMATES, THERE WOULD BE ABOUT 225,000 ARABS IN THE TERRITORY MARKED OUT FOR THE JEWISH STATE, AS AGAINST NEARLY 300,000 JEWS.)
THEY ARE ALSO CONSIDERING THE EMPHATIC STATEMENT BY AN ARAB REPRESENTATIVE THAT THE ARABS WOULD NOT TOLERATE A SINGLE ARAB BEING EVACUATED FROM THE PROPOSED JEWISH TERRITORY AND WOULD BE PREPARED TO FIGHT AGAINST IT.
COLONIAL SECRETARY WILLIAM ORMSBY-GORE, WHO HAS BEEN PLEADING THE BRITISH CASE BEFORE THE MANDATES COMMISSION, WILL LEAVE GENEVA TOMORROW AND MAY RETURN LATER.
IT IS NOW BELIEVED THAT THE COMMISSION WILL FINISH A DRAFT OF ITS REPORT TO THE LEAGUE COUNCIL, WHICH MEETS SEPTEMBER, BY THE EIGHTEENTH OR NINETEENTH OF THIS MONTH.
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.
