the Disturbances: Arabs? -Animosity London, Mar. 31.
The report of the Commission on the Palestine disturbances of August Jast wes presented to Parliament The commissioners come to the conclusion thet, from the beginning of that outbreak, there was an attack upon Jews by Arabs for Which no excuse has been established, The few attacks by Jews upon Arabs were mos There is no proof that the Grand Mufti or the Palestine Arab Executive premeditated and organized the disturbances as has been alleged.
The Commission have criticism to make of the by the Palestine Government, either immediately before or after the outbreak, They consider that the Palestine Government have throughout discharged, to. the best] of their ability, the difficul task maintaining impartiality between we peoples whose leaders have displayed little tendency to com-Promise, The Commission considered that Jewish enterprise and immigration, when not exceeding the country's abtorptive capacity, have conferred benefits on Palestine, which the Urabs have shared. Bo with regard to immigration, they consider that the Jewish authorities have departed from the doctrine laid down in 1922 and accepted by the Zionist oranization, and that the. Zionist claims have been calculated to create among the Arabs apprehension of the loss of livelihood and political Attention is drawn to the number of evictions of Arab cultivators upon the sale of the land they occupied, without alternative land having been provided. Complaint 5s not made of Jewish land compan-fea which In some cane, pad com tion and acted with the Rovernmen's knowledge, bot te acute situation has been produced and a landless, discontented class is being created,' which is a potential source of danger. It is urged that ome remedy be found for 1 situation, "The Commission's conclusion that Palestine cannot support a rent agricultural population without radical changes. in hey farming methods. It is believed that the excessive immigration of the years: 1923-26. It is recommended that means should be found for con-1g non-Jewish interests on immigration questions.
It is proposed that a scientific inquiry be held into the prospects of improved methods of cultivation that could be introduced.
The policy could then be regulated in the light of the results of the enquiry.. Meanwhile, measures should be taken to check the present tendencies towards the eviction of peasant cultivators and the Government should consider means of pro-iding the poorer cultivators credit facilities No formal recommendation regarding constitutional development Is made, but attention is drawn to the view already expressed in the report that the resentment of the Arabs at their failure to obtain any measure of self-government is aggravating the difficulties.
"The Commission recommend that) a commission be appointed to determine the rights and claims in connection with the Wailing Wall, that more effective control of press propaganda be considered, and that the British Government should state] Uhat the special position assigned to the Zionist organization does not entitle it to have a share in the government of Palestine. The! existing garrison should be maintained for the preterit and an independent inquiry be made into the police organization.
Attached to the report is a note of reservation by Mr. Small, a member of the Commission. He kes a more serious view of the responsibility of the Arab leaders for the disturbances, ¢riticises. the action of the Palestine Government in certain respects, and does not endorse the criticism of the Jewish Authorities reading, Immigration mits.
Mr. Small recommends a more extensive land inquiry than that contemplated by his colleagues. emphasizes the necessity of cooperation between Jews and Arabs and proposes that men of both races, of high character and influence thoaldl meet and discuss the possibi ies of common effort as a first step] p, towards racial ce-operation.
Apr difficulties of the Palestine Government are aggravated by Arab re-oontment at having no measure of elf government and having, unlike the Jews, no direct access to Hix Majesty's Government.
Reduction of the garrison in Palestine and Trans-Jordania fensidered to have been carried too The Commission consider that the fundamental cause of the disturb ances way the animosity of Arabs towards Jews, arising from disallowance of their political and national aspirations and fear for their economic future. The immediate causes were repeated incidents in connection with the Wailing Wall, Provocative press auricles on both sides, propaganda among the less educated Arabs, the inadequacy of ary forces and police and the belief, among Arabs, that the Palestine Government's' decision Commenting on the report of the Palestine Commission, "The Times" says: "To sum up its contents in a Phrase, the report makes a strong nition of the: practical the first and most obvious duty of the Mandatory Power is to leave doubt whatever in the minds of either Jews or Arabs that it intends lutai with entrusted it, and to enforce law and onder throughout the country.
So long as that is clearly understood, the paper ads, there is everything' to be gained by a clear restatement of the terms of the Mandate and of the policy by which it is to be carried out in practice, Apr. 3. ould be influenced by pol ical considerations. pal recommendation of Commission that His Majesty's Government should issue immediately a statement of policy and make plain their intentions of carrying out that policy with all the resources at their command. Such statement, it is suggested, would bbe more valuable if it contained a clearly defined interpretation by the British Government of those pass-fages in the Mandate safeguarding the rights of the non-Jewish com-inanity and if it laid down. more explicit directions for the guidance fof the Palestine Government in its policy on vital issues, such as land and immigration. These recommendations are Lased largely upon the assumption that the proposed definition of pol clearly state hat the rights of non-Jewish communities will be fully safeguarded.
Tt is recommended that a_clear statement be issued of the fature policy for the contro! of Jewish i migration and' that Administrative machinery be devised with a view to preventing the repetition of the The Premier was asked in the House of Commons to-day by Mr. Stanley Baldwin, the Conservative leader, whether he was now in a petition to make a statement regarding the Government's, policy in Palestine.
Mr, Ramsay MaeDoxald replied:
"His Majesty's Government will continue to administer Palestine in accordance with the terms of the Mandate approved by the Cou of the League of Nations. That is fan international obligation upon which there can be no question of receding.
Under the terms of the Mandate, His Majesty's Government are responsible for promoting the establishment, in Palestine, of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done - that might prejudice the civil and re-lous rights of the existing n0nts or political status enjoyed by Jews in other countries. A double undertaking is involved to {he Jewish people, on the one hand, and te the non-Jewish popula
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.