IN PALESTINE

Hokitika Guardian, 1 April 1930, Page 5

IN PALESTINE

REPORT OF COMMISSION ON AUGUST DISTURBANCE. ARABS CAUSE OUTBREAK. SOME 1{ DCOM MEN DAT lONS. (British Official Wireless). (Received this day at 11 a.m.) RUGBY, -March 31. The report of the Commission on the Palestine disturbance of August last was presented to Parliament to-day. The Commissioners came to the conclusion that from the beginning the outbreak was an attack upon .Jews by Arabs, for which no excuse lias been established. A few attacks by Jews upon Arabs were mostly retaliatory. There is no proof that the Grand I Mufti or Palestine Arab executive premeditated or organised the disturbances as has been alleged. The outbreak neither was, nor was intended to be a revolt against British authority. The commission have no serious criticism to make of the action taken hy the Palestine Government either immediately before or after the outbreak. They consider the Government have throughout discharged to the best of their ability, the difficult task of maintaining, impartiality between the two pennies, whose leaders have displayed little tendency to compromise.

The Commission considers Jewish enterprise and immigration, when not exceeding the, country’s absorptive capacity. have conferred material benefits on Palestine .which the Arabs have shared, but, with regard to immigration they consider Jewish authorities have departed from the doctrine laid down in 1922 and accepted by Zionist organisations, and that Zionist claims have been calculated to create among the Arabs, apprehensions of the loss of a livelihood and political subjection.

Attention is drawn to the number of evictions of Arab cultivators upon the sale of land they occupied, without al-

ternative land having been provided. The complaint is not made against Jewish land companies, who were in some cases paid a cash compensation, and

acted with the Government’s knowledge, but an acute situation has been "produced and a landless discontented class is being created which is a potential source of danger. It is urgent that some remedy be found for this situation.

The Commission’s conclusion is that Palestine cannot support an increased agricultural population without radical changes in farming methods. It is believed the difficulties of the Palestine Government are, aggravated by Arab resentment at having no measure of self Government, and having unlike Jews, no direct access to- his Majesty’s Government.

A reduction of the garrision in Palestine and trans-Jordan is considered to have been carried too far. The Commission consider - the fundamental cause of the disturbances was the animosity. of Arabs towards Jews, arising from the disappointment of their political and national aspirations, and fear for their economic future. The immediate causes were:— Repeated incidents in connexion with the Wailing Wall. ■ Provocative Press articles on both sides. Propaganda among the less educated 'Arabs. Inadequacy of military forces and police, and a belief among Arabs that the Palestine Government’s decision could be influenced bv political considerations.

The primary recommendations of Commission is that His Majesty’s Government should issue immediately a statemeiit of policy and make plain their intention of carrying out that policy with all the resources at their command. Such a statement would be more valuable if it contained a clearly definite interpretation .by the British Government, of the messages in the mandate safeguarding the rights of non-Jewish communities, and laid down more explicit directions for the guidance of the Palestine Government in the policy on vital issues, such as immigration and

land. These recommendations are based largely on the assumption that the proposed definition of policy will merely state that the rights of the non-Jew-ish community will be fully safeguarded.

It recommends a clear statement b> issued of the future policy for control of Jewish immigration and that the administrative machinery lie examined with a view to preventing a repetition of excessive immigration of the years 1925-26. Machinery should be devised for consulting non-Jewish interests on immigration questions.

It is proposed a scientific inquiry bo bold into the projects of improved methods of cultivation being introduced. A land policy could then be regulated in the light of results of inouir.v.

Meanwhile measures should be taken to check the present tendency towards .the eviction of peasant cultivators. The Oovernmmit should consider means of providing proper cultivations with credit facilities. No further recommendaton regarding, constitutional developments is made, but attention is drawn to th« view already expresesd in the report that the resentment of Arabs at their failure to obtain any measure of self government is aggravating the difficulties. The Commission recommended that a Commission lie appointed to determine the rights and claims in connection with the Wailing Wall; that more effectve control of press propa-