PALESTINE: Divide & Rule?

Great Britain stalled for time again last week in deciding what to do about the irresistible force of Zionism that has met the immovable object of Arab nationalism in the blood-stained hills of the Holy Land. Last year a Royal Commission under the late Lord Peel, having duly visited Palestine, taken copious notes, heard both sides’ pleas, recommended that the country be partitioned into a Jewish State, an Arab State and a British Corridor. So great was the Arab terrorism that followed the announcement of this plan that last April the British Cabinet sent out another commission under Sir John Woodhead to restudy the partition proposals.

Last week the Woodhead Commission issued its conclusions. A Babel of contradictions and reservations, this report submitted two new partition schemes and in the same breath admitted it was impossible to divide the country into satisfactory economic, political, racial units. His Majesty’s Government there on abandoned partition as “impracticable,” announced it would try another timehonored, time-stalling method used successfully when Indian nationalism flared up. The Cabinet decided to call in London a round-table conference of Jews and Arabs and urge the two factions to compose their differences under the benevolent, watchful eye of the Mandatory.* Should they fail to agree, the British Government hinted, a settlement might be imposed.

Partly in answer to the effective protests that have come from many ardent, powerful, articulate friends of Zionism in the U. S. against more concessions to the Arabs, the Government emphasized that the “international character” of the Palestine mandate would be kept in mind.

Meanwhile, Zionism acquired its latest and most persuasive propagandist in William B. Ziff, publisher of the U. S. magazines Popular Aviation, Popular Photography, Radio News, Amazing Stories. In The Rape of Palestine,† Author Ziff brushes aside or categorically denies all Arab arguments, directs a Zola-like series of accusations at Great Britain. His assertions:

1) From the start the Palestine mandate has been ruled by Colonial Office administrators largely experienced in dealing with unlettered, ignorant Zulus or Sudanese. Taught in the divide-&-rule schools of British Colonial administration, the English carefully nursed weak Arab antiSemitism, helped subsidize a heretofore nonexistent Arab nationalism, set out to sabotage Zionism.

2) Though they constitute one-third of the population, Jews hold less than 5% of the public jobs.

3) The 33% Jewish population lives on 5% of the land, is prevented from buying more land even at profiteering rates, although nothing would please the Arabs more.

4) Arab territory constitutes one of the world’s last frontiers, with population scarcer than in any .other inhabited part of the globe. Palestine is rich in many minerals, can grow almost any kind of fruit or vegetable, has sufficient water supply. Instead of being overpopulated, it is notoriously undermanned. If as dense as Massachusetts, it would have 5,270,000 instead of 1,300,000 inhabitants. It now supports only one-tenth of the population of Roman times.

5) Jewish immigration has been restricted for years. Arabs from Syria, Iraq, Egypt and the Yemen, however, come in unrestricted. The Arab population has doubled in 14 years, drawn to Palestine by the knowledge that good Zionist money was being spent.

6) Britain has made millions in Palestine. Palestine policing costs British taxpayers nothing. The yearly deficit of British-controlled Transjordan, which was detached from Palestine, is paid out of the Palestine treasury. Haifa Harbor has now become Britain’s best Near Eastern naval base. British rulers floated Palestine loans even when the Palestine Government had a huge surp’us.

Lesser but no less surprising Ziff contentions: 1).The Arab revolt under Colonel Lawrence was a bought-&-paid-for affair costing England £11,000,000 and having nothing to do with Arab nationalism. 2) Haj Amin el Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, now the exiled terrorist leader, was in 1920 an exile in Syria under 15 years’ hard-labor sentence, was brought back by Britain to head a British-controlled Supreme Moslem Council and to become the Mufti for life, his salary to be paid out of public funds. 3) Zionist Leader Dr. Chaim Weizmann is a kindly, naive, conciliatory, Russian-born chemist who has been constantly tricked by wily British diplomats.

*Britain will not welcome in London, however, Arab terrorist leaders, five of whom are in the Seychelles Islands prisons, others in exile. Delegates from Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt will probably represent the Arabs. Jewish delegates will be nominated by the Jewish Agency.

†Longmans, Green & Co. ($3.50)