The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16, 1946 PALESTINE—THE HOLY LAND!

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 38, 16 October 1946, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16, 1946 PALESTINE—THE HOLY LAND!

Heads Park

“The state of the grass at the Heads Park is a disgrace to the Borough,” said Cr C. S. Armstrong, at the Borough Council meeting last Monday. “The growth is really very bad and the remarks of the people who have been using it lately are not very complimentary.” The Fore-man-Engineer explained that the last cut had been made less than a month ago and he was endeavouring to plan the cutting programme (which would be a heavy one this year) to suit his staff and the matter would be attended to.

New Parking Area

WHY has the very shrine of Christendom always been the bone of bloody contention between the Jewish and the Arab races ? Why, incidently has its settlement issue become a major world problem involving all the greater nations and even dictating the path of war or of peace ? These questions are puzzling the peace-seeking peoples of the world today, and yet it appears that the vision of a settled and lasting peace is doomed to become a mere phantasy in the face of the fierce claims of Jewry in all lands to the country of Palestine ! Only the nations which are outside the national argument can be expected to see fairly both sides of the heated controversy, but neither Jew nor Arab will have this. Both claim that their own viewpoints are the correct ones. As was to be expected, the mention of partition immediately produced a chorus of protest. The Arabs have roundly condemned the scheme and threaten to boycott the Round Table conference at which, it is proposed, the plan will be discussed. In this, the Arabs are simply reiterating their opinion expressed at the 1939 Conference on Palestine, and it would appear that they are determined to remain adamantly opposed to any policy that proposes a recognition of Jewish claims to any part of the Holy Land. Can Great Britain and America proceed with such a plan if the Arabs are prepared to resort to force in defence of what they consider their inalienable rights ? The situation threatens to become chaotic., Partition, as a theory, is nothing new in the many reports which have been issued on Palestine in the past 16 years. It was the unanimous verdict of the Peel Commission in 1936-37, and emerged again in different forms in the various proposals of the Woodhouse Commission which considered the Peel report* in 1938. The general opposition then expressed resulted in the proposals being rejected in favour of another attempt to bring the Arabs and Jews into co-operation and eventually into a common government. All endeavours to avoid the necessity of partition, however, have failed to overcome the one outstanding obstacle—the irreconcilable views held by the Jews and the Arabs. The Arabs maintain that the Palestine house is theirs and the Jews should keep out. They lock the door aaginst Jewry and shut their ears to the clamour in the streets. The Jews claim that the house- is their heritage and demand the right to live there. The Peel Commission recognised this conflict and stated unequivocally that the house would have to be divided, with a door and living quarters for each people. The Arabs, for their share, would receive national independence and would be delivered from the fear of ultimate subjection to the Jews, whose expansion would be limited by fixed frontiers. The Jews would gain their national home and freedom from minority status. The best suggestion the commission could make regarding the holy places was that an enclave should be demarcated and placed under British mandate, thus ensuring the sanctity of these places and free access to them by both races. It would seem that partition offers the only possible solution to the problem. Indeed, there appears to be no alternative but a scheme which will keep the two races from each other’s throats. The dangers inherent in the application of the plan are formidable enough to make any nation shrink from undertaking the task. If it is to be done, it must be carried out with the full approval of the United Nations and in a manner designed to leave no room for future recriminations.

Concern that the -new area which the Borough Foreman had cleared for the purpose of creating a new parking space adjoining the Strand was not used for that purpose, was expressed by several Councillors at the meeting of the Borough Council last Monday evening. Speakers contended that the area was badly needed in order to offset congestion of traffic which took place during shopping periods. The matter was left in the hands of the Mayor to confer with the Traffic Inspector thereon.