Sept. 7.
The despatch of reinforcements to Palestine suggests that the British Government contemplates the early declaration of martial Jaw—a step which many critics consider is overdue, The Arab leaders to whom unexampled consideration has been shown, partly because of the strong sympathies which they can command among "a certain section of the National Government's Conservative supporters, have now lost control of their fanatical followers, Patience and conciliation have been interpreted as weakness. The Jews who have been the victims of Arab intransi~ gence have displayed exemplary restraint and, in spite of terrible provocation, have generally kept their heads and their confidence in the High Commissioner and his Government. The first sign that the breaking point had been reached was vouchsafed last month when, disregarding the express orders of their leaders, a small group of Jewish demonstrators fired fifty shots on a train as it was crossing the bridge on the Tel Aviv-Jaffa boundary on August 17. The early operations against the Arabs were unsuccessful because the authorities underestimated the dim-pensions of the outbreak, Moreover the peculiar diMeulty of the country with which the troops were unfamiliar and of which the Arabs, in their superior knowledge, were able to take full advantage, made clearing "drives" virtually ineffective. Troops having, as they thought, completely combed out a given area, were surprised to find that, on leaving it, insurgents immediately reappeared from undetected hiding~ places. With larger forces at their ossal the British authorities were able to rectify this defect in the process of restoring order, but unfortunately the time lost had given the Arabs the opportunity of ex~ tending the rebellion, Organized terrorism rapidly developed its technique and now it would seem that nothing short of the declaration martial law—supported as it would have to be by an adequate military force—could make the Arabs realize the futility of resistance. The impending est ablishment of a self-governing Syria by the treaty with the French Government, makes composure of the Palestine trouble all the more urgent.
It is regrettable to have to assert that well-meaning but untimely expression of sympathy with Arab contentions has not only stayed the hand of the Government but has also given encouragement to the Arabs, The extent of the trouble can be gauged from the official figures issued from Jerusalem on August 19 up to which date from April 19, 130 Arabs, 6 Christians, 68 Jows and 23 Military or Police had been killed, The number of arrested Arabs was given as 2,302 of whom 1,493 were convicted, 614 acquitted, and 285 awaiting trial. Arrested' Jews numbered 300 of whom 204 were convicted, 46 acquitted and 59 awaiting rial. Thus the fifth month of the Arab strike showed no abatement of the trouble, indeed the authorities were obviously confronted with a more formidable problem than ever, Desperate attempts were made to induce the Government to agree temporarily to suspend Jewish immigration as a means of purchasing Arab compliance, pending the: inquiry by the Royal Commission. Fortunately Mr, William Ormsby-Gore firmly refused thus to prejudice "the investigation and re-
Parliament guaranteeing their Jaction to safeguard legitimate Arab aspirations and obviously intended by the signatories to persuade the Arab leaders to wait calmly for the Royal Commission, was immediate ly followed by an' intensification of Arab violence including the cold-blooded murder of three Jewish children in their sleep at Sofa:
This admirable desire to be fair to the Arab has been overdone. derives in part from a fashionable, if wrongheaded, allegiance to whi thought to, be the "Lawrence cult. It also bears traces of soli-elude for Moslem susceptibilities In other parts of the world where British rule obtains. No-one with' any experience of the East would belittle the importance of preserve }ing Moslem friendship. Indeed, Moslems themselves value the tradi-_ tions of mutual confidence and understanding carefully fostered British policy in their regard throughout the East. Yet the history of the Great War showed that ex~ cessive attention to the theories of]
Islamic experts on that point was responsible for much error and unnecessary deflection of policy. 'The lassie example, of course, was the attitude taken up by the British Government in deference, as it believed, to Moslem opinion regarding' the Khalifat. The new Turkey, under Kamal Atoturk, (Mustapha Kemal Pasha as he then was) made short shrift of the Khalifat and not a murmur was heard throughout the length and breadth of Islam, The Arabs in Palestine have never ruled themselves. They have been treated with great forbearance—even to the point of being pampered. The danger is that they may acquire the unruly status of spoiled children to the general disturbance of the economic and political progress of a country to which the Jewisl: immigrants in loyal ce-operation with the Mandatory authority have made really valuable contributions. Nor! should it be forgotten that the Jews have access only to a portion fof the country, There are still certain tracts Which Arabs dominate the exclusion of all others. The moderate Arab leaders have lost their power to control the bulk of their people in Palestine. The situation demands that firm and, where "necessary, ruthless action should be taken to remind the t of the existence of an authority determined to keep order and administer impartial justice under the Mandate.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.