THE PALESTINE SITUATION
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
Si a,—Now that the Government have appointed the Royal Commission on Palestine, English residents are unanimous in hoping that it will soon go out and begin its work. The Arab leaders and moderates have accepted the Commission, though at first they were against it, and will offer no further
opposition to it ; but there are extremist elements on both sides who welcome delay. In some quarters it is believed that the strike and the campaign of lawlessness are near their end ; such a state of quiet will be neither peace nor restoration of order : it will be a collapse from exhaustion, allaying no bitterness or discontent and full of threats for the future.
The Government have said that order must be restored before the Commission goes out. The Administration so far have failed notably to restore order. Could not the Govern- ment try conciliation for a change ? It is suggested that the Commission should advise, as a preliminary step, that immi- gration be suspended as from the date of its arrival for a period to be determined hereafter in accordance with its findings, and that it should sail for Palestine as soon as possible. There would certainly be an outcry about the Government being " weak," and " going back on its word," &c. Is the British Government's prestige so slight that it dare not alter an earlier decision ? And does the present situation in Palestine enhance the prestige of either the Government or the Administration ? Meanwhile, lives are being lost, the whole country is suffering in all ways, and barriers of bitterness and suspicion are rising everywhere which can only make the Commission's difficult task infinitely more difficult, and may even jeopardise its
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