Methods in Palestine It is now certain that the British-Arab-Jewish
conversa- tions in London will not open on January 18th. The Arab representatives have not yet been chosen, and indeed the choice hangs upon the decision of the Mufti, so often denounced by the British Government as the chief instigator of the revolt. In the meanwhile, the War Office has issued a statement defending the British troops in Palestine against the " baseless allegations of atrocities " made by " persons unfriendly to this country." The statement is honest and straightforward, describing the difficulties of suppressing a revolt in which combatants take every care to merge with civilians, though they use extreme terrorist methods against their own people. It enumerates four weapons which have been found useful : curfew, communal fines, " round-ups for purposes of identification, and demolition. Many have doubts of the wisdom or the justice of using this last weapon ; but at worst it cannot be compared with the kind of atrocity attributed to the troops by the foreign Press. The Angnff indeed treats the War OffiCe's statement as an admission of guilt ; but it seems likely that Dr. Goebbels does not believe in his own charges. He says the Arabs are now treated as the Sudeten Germans were treated by the Czechs ; could any people in revolt hope for more ? The sentences passed on two British. constables this week for the shooting of an Arab show, moreover, that excesses committed even under provocation will be sternly dealt with.
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