The Royal Commission of Inquiry concluded tonight an eleven-week investigation into the Arab disturbances of 1936 and the Palestine Government’s administration of the mandate.
Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope, British High Commissioner for Palestine, was the final witness to be heard, testifying at a session in camera. Sir Arthur was also the first witness to testify when the six-man commission, under the chairmanship of Lord Peel, opened its investigation on Nov. 12 last. In the intervening weeks, the commission has heard testimony by scores of Jewish leaders and British officials. Arab leaders, after boycotting the investigation, finally abandoned the boycott and on Jan. 12 started presentation of the Arab case.
Lord Peel will leave for Egypt tomorrow. The entire commission is scheduled to sail for England on Jan. 24.
Among the witnesses at today’s session were George Antonious, Christian Arab representative of the Near East Institute of World Current Affairs an American-endowed body; Greek Catholic Bishop Hajjar and Dr. Totah, principal of the Quaker school at Ramallah.
Antonious, the final Arab witness to testify, voiced the belief that an Arab-Jewish compromise could not be reached. He listed the following as underlying causes of the recent troubles: Arab loss of confidence in the Palestine Government, which he said cost “fantastically much”; the feeling that Arabs were being treated differently than the Jews, particularly that they were being discriminated against in the matter of immigration and land policies.
Bishop Hajjar, declaring Jews, “being sons of Abraham,” wished to dominate Palestine, charged they were planning to force removal of churches from the Temple area when they become a majority in the Holy Land.
Dr. Totah declared 85 per cent of Arab men and 93 per cent of Arab women were illiterate.
The commission recalled Amid Dey Abdul Hadi, Arab leader, to clear up alleged mistranslations of testimony last week in which he was quoted as rejecting round table talks with Zionist leaders. He declared he had stated that Arabs were not prepared to engage in round-table discussions under the present conditions.
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