* * The Palestine Warfare Reports from Palestine state that
by now there has been a complete breakdown of authority throughout the country, except at points directly controlled by the military. Largely owing to a serious lack of foresight, both in Whitehall and on the spot, the complicated problems of doing justice to Jew and Arab have been reduced to the simpler and humilia- ting one of trying to restore order. There could be no greater proof of the failure of British policy than that, a year after the Royal Commission reported, the British Government should be forced to undertake what can only be described as a military occupation of the country. There can be little doubt that the delay and indecision, combined with the failure to take adequate precautions, of the Government have directly contributed to this result. Worse still, if reports that Partition is to be abandoned, and Jew and Arab, unlike German and Czech, are to be forced to live together, can be trusted, the outbreaks of violence will, from the Arab point of view, have been justified ; for their aim has been precisely to prevent Partition. The reports may prove false ; in any case they are indiscreet and ill-advised, as they can only encourage further violence. For the moment the British Government cannot wisely do more than restore and maintain its authority ; until that is done, firmly and decisively, no further decision can satisfactorily be taken.
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