PALESTINE—THE ARAB CASE

• To the Editor of Tev. SeEer.vrond Si a. - The general unrest existing in Palestine, and the Arab strike NVIliell started fifteen days ago, must convey something. For all time classes of the Arab population of Palestine, from the s:inple workman and farmer to the teacher, doctor and lawyer, 14) make a general unlimited strike, unanimously supported by the feeling of their brethren in Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Arabia, must mean more than that the Arabs are becoming unruly or that they wanted a nice long holiday. It means that the Arabs are aggrieved, struggling for their existence, declaring their unrest, unsatisfaction and resentment against he policy which has been followed by His Majesty's Govern- ment in Palestine since the Great War.

Their demands, which show the nature of their grievances, are t hese :

(1) The establishment of a national government responsible before a representative legislative assembly.

(2) Stopping of Jewish Immigration.

(3) Prohibition of selling the lands to the Jews.

) National Government. —They contend that the policy which Ills Majesty's Government has been following was dominated entirely by a promise which the Arabs consider to be unjust and which they have never and will never recognise: a promise of a foreign government to give a National Home for a foreign people in an Arab country without the Consent or appreciation of the Arabs. By following such a policy the Government have forgotten the main and the only fendamental task laid upon them, as a Mandatory Power, by Article 22 of the Treaty of Versailles and the Covenant of the League of Nations, which declares : t'ertain conununities formerly belonging to the Turkish Empire have reached a stage of development where their existence as inde- pendent nations can be provisionally recognised subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a Mandatory Imt it such time as they are able to stand alone.".

Furthermore, even His Majesty's Government did not equally carry out its responsibilities under the mandate after its nature was changed, a change which the Arabs have not

recognised. It developed the policy of the National Home, and left the count ry as an administrative area at the level of Gibral- tar, at a time when the other " A" class mandated territories have got complete independence, such as Iraq, or a national representative government, such as Syria, which is negotiating at the moment with France for complete independence.

Their political consciousness and development being no less titan these brethren countries, the people of Palestine demand, and rightly demand. that a National government with a representative assembly must be granted.

(2) Jewish /in migration.- • The Arab of Palestine, seeing the Jews (smiting to Palestine in the spirit of a conquering nation, and t hat the Jew's have increased their numbers from 7 per cent. to 30 per cent. of the whole population within sixteen years, and that they are coining on an average in numbers of twelve thousand per atmum, arc seriously alarmed and afraid that

the Jews within a few years will become equal to the Arabs in Palestine, and that a little later they will become the majority to establish a Jewish predominance and ultimately to

establish a Jewish State as many leaders of the Zionist movement have declared. For illustration here is a quotation

from Dr. Eder, Chairman of the Zionist Commission in Palestine :

"There can he only one National Home in Palestine and that a Jewish National Home, and no equality in partnership between, Jews and Arabs but a Jewish predominance as soon as the members of the race are sufficiently iiiereased."

The ultimate result of immigration being such, the Arabs contend that it is dangerous to their existence. Moreover, even if the Jews did not succeed in attaining their aspirations, the mere coming of a foreign clement to the Arab Palestine from all the parts of the world with all sorts of different ideas, opinions and principles, is undesirable and dangerous to the existence of an independent and coherent State in Palestine. Moreover, Palestine is an Arab country and surrounded IT other Arab countries. It is inseparable from the body of these countries and this Arab nation whose ultimate and near future will be an Arab Federation.

(3) Prohibition of Selling of Lands.— The accumulation of thousands of guineas from world Jewry by the Jewish National Fund in Palestine enabled it to buy large areas of Arab lands, a thing which is a great source of fear and alarm to the Arabs. But one may ask, how can the Arabs complain of this since the Jews arc acquiring land by purchase and paying its price ? It is taw the Jews arc paying its price, but the game is played between the poor starving Arab cult i- vator tenant (fallah) or the absentee landlords on the one hand and the Jewish National Fund, the biggest international capital- ist, on the other. But the problem is deeper and more danger- ous than this, and here is a quotation from Sir J. H. Simpson's

unchallenged report on land and immigrations problems, 19311, p. 50-60, which deals with the root of the problem

" Actually the result of the purchase of land in Palestine by i1 e Jewish National Fund has been that land hasbeenestra-territorialisetl. It ceases to bo land from which the Arab can gain any advantage whether now or at any time in the future. Not only van he nerve hope to lease or cultivate it, but, by the stringent provisions of the lease of the Jewish National Fund ho is deprived for ever from employ- ment on the land. Nor can anyone help him by purchasing the land and restoring it to common use. The land is inalienable.'

The results of selling lands therefore arc these : (a) That it is extra-territorialised.

(b) The dispossession of 6,000 Arab families from land when they have no alternative occupation.

(c) The increase of unemployment in Palestine and the creation of an unsatisfied class which in the terms of Sir J. H. Simpson "will remain the source of continuous future trouble."

These are the Arab demands and grievances. The Zionists are opposing them and spoiling their cause by misleading the English public opinion on two points : (a) The concealment of their real intention towards the Arabs of Palestine and their future.

(b) The false propaganda that they arc bringing prosperity- to the Arabs, a thing which they contend is a great justification for their being there.

But I hope that the weakness and vagueness of these argu- ments will be discovered in the light of the impartial and true knowledge of the roots of the Palestinian problem so that a redress may be given to the many injuries and illegalities done to the Arabs.—Yours faithfully, I. NAKIILEIL

34 Tar'istoek Square, London, 11".C. 1.