In that event we might receive a demand from the
Angora Government—whieh, remember, is always anxious to pose as the guardian of Mohammedanism throughout the world—that would expose us, as we have said, to humiliation and danger. The rejection of the demand might lead to an insurrection in Palestine, encouraged and supported by the Angora Government. This would require us to send large bodies of troops to Palestine and to spend money lavishly. We might indeed soon find that we had thrown away another five or six hundred millions on a thankless and indeed impossible task. We must as a nation come to an immediate decision about the evacuation of Palestine and the transfer or abandonment of the mandate. If the decision is for leaving Palestine as soon as possible, as we trust it will be, we should instantly announce it to the world, and so anticipate the dangers that we have described.
Previous page
