Sentiment for Mandate at Geneva; Britain to Negotiate with Agency

CONFRONTED WITH WHAT THEY FEEL IS A CHOICE OF EVILS WITH RESPECT TO PALESTINE, MOST OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS MANDATES COMMISSION, NOW WEIGHING GREAT BRITAIN’S PLAN FOR PARTITIONING THE HOLY LAND, BELIEVE CONTINUATION OF THE MANDATE IS THE LEAST UNDESIRABLE COURSE, IT WAS LEARNED TODAY.

THEIR EXAMINATION OF THE VARIOUS SCHEMES PROPOSED FOR SOLUTION OF THE PALESTINE PROBLEM HAS REVEALED SO MANY DRAWBACKS THAT A MAJORITY OF THE COMMISSIONERS ARE UNDERSTOOD TO BE CONVINCED THAT THE MANDATE, DESPITE ITS FAILINGS, IS STILL THE BEST RECOURSE.

THE COMMISSION, WHICH WILL PROBABLY CLOSE ITS SPECIAL SESSION ON PALESTINE WEDNESDAY, WAS ASSURED YESTERDAY BY BRITISH COLONIAL SECRETARY WILLIAM G. A. ORMSBY-GORE THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PERSUADE ARABS NOW LIVING IN THE TERRITORY OF THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE TO MOVE OUT.

THE PRESENCE OF 25,000 ARABS, ACCORDING TO THE ESTIMATE OF THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION ON PALESTINE, IN THE TERRITORY WHICH IS SLATED TO BE ALLOTTED TO THE JEWS, IS ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS TO BE OVERCOME IF PEACE IS TO BE ESTABLISHED IN PALESTINE BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S FORMULA.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore told the commission that Britain would try to persuade the Arabs to vacate the Jewish lands by offering them good farming land in the proposed Arab State at low rentals.

AGENCY IN PARLEYS, ORMSBY-GORE ASSURES

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY HAS ALSO ASSURED THE COMMISSION THAT HIS GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE FOR CARRYING OUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION, IT WAS RELIABLY LEARNED.

THE LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS ARE UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE EXPRESSED SATISFACTION THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE TO BE CONDUCTED WITH THE WHOLE JEWISH AGENCY IN CONFORMITY WITH ARTICLE 4 OF THE MANDATE, UNDER WHICH IT IS RECOGNIZED AS WORLD JEWRY’S REPRESENTATIVE IN PALESTINE MATTERS.

INDICATIONS FROM ZURICH HAVE BEEN THAT THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE ALONE, RATHER THAN THE AGENCY, WHICH COMPRISES NON-ZIONISTS AS WELL, WAS TO DO THE NEGOTIATING ON THE CREATION OF A JEWISH STATE BY GREAT BRITAIN IN PALESTINE. THE RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS AT ZURICH, EMPOWERS “THE EXECUTIVE” TO NEGOTIATE, WITHOUT SPECIFYING WHETHER THE AGENCY OR THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE WAS BEING REFERRED TO.

MEMBERS OF THE MANDATES COMMISSION, IT WAS LEARNED TODAY, HAVE EXPRESSED A WISH TO HEAR AUTHORIZED-NON-ZIONIST JEWISH LEADERS GIVE THEIR VIEWS ON THE QUESTION OF PARTITIONING PALESTINE.

A DELEGATION OF NON-ZIONIST AMERICAN JEWISH LEADERS, HEADED BY FELIX M. WARBURG OF NEW YORK, IS EN ROUTE TO ZURICH FOR THE BIENNIAL MEETING OF THE JEWISH AGENCY’S COUNCIL. PRIOR TO THEIR DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK THE DELEGATION, DECLARING PALESTINE WAS A LAND TOO SMALL TO BE SO DIVIDED,” ASSERTED THAT THE ZIONIST CONGRESS, WHICH BY 300 TO 158 VOTED TO AUTHORIZE CONDUCTING NEGOTIATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN, WAS SPEAKING “ONLY FOR ITS OWN MEMBERS” AND NOT FOR JEWS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION.