DEFINITE REJECTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1939, Page 7

DEFINITE REJECTION

THE PALESTINE PROPOSALS DISSOLUTION OF JEWISH DELEGATION. . MR MACDONALD ADVISED. By Telegraph—Press Ass'ociation—Copyright (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) LONDON, March 17. The Palestine Jewish Agency I has advised Mr Malcolm Macdon- | aid that the Jewish delegation is being dissolved because it is unable to accept the British Government's proposals. GENERAL STRIKE THROUGHOUT PALESTINE. PROTEST BY THE JEWS. (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) JERUSALEM, March 17. A twenty-four hour general strike throughout Palestine will start at 5 a.m. on Monday, as a protest against “the crystallisation of the Jewish national home as a permanent minority.” CONFERENCES END NEXT STEP WITH BRITAIN. THE RESTORATION OF ORDER IN PALESTINE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.23 a.m.) RUGBY, March 17. The Palestine conferences ended tonight without reaching agreement. The final meeting was with the Arabs, who found the British proposals unacceptable. The Jewish delegation had already declined to accept the proposal;,. Interest now centres on a pronouncement to be made next week by Britain of her policy for an imposed settlement. It is generally agreed, however,, thathe discussions »must have contributed in. some degree to understanding, and they certainly have been the means of establishing valuable personal contacts Meantime the Mandatory s duty of restoring order is inescapable, and in Palestine itself military operations continue but a great change has come over the scene since last autumn, when, with large gangs of armed terrorists disturbing the peace of the country, it was decided to increase the garrison to two divisions. As -a result of systematic drives, the most important gang leaders have fled to Syria, while the o-angs have either been dispersed or split up into small parties, which have, concealed their arms. The troops searching for hidden arms and rounding up suspects have been, encountering less and less active opposition and the tactics of the terrorists are now confined to acts of individual terrorism. Serious dissensions have broken out among the rebels themselves and captured documents show ever-growing dissatisfaction with the financial administration. for which the rebel headquarters in Syria is responsible.