PALESTINE OUTRAGES
THE atmosphere of suppressed hysteria which exists in Palestine, following the latest and worst terrorist outrage—which probably cost the lives of 123 people in Jerusalem on Monday— is the worst possible atmosphere in which to pursue the search for a peaceful political settlement. It must be dispelled, and the best way to do it is to remove as quickly as possible those Jewish terrorist elements who have pursued their murderous business almost without interruption for many months and who may even now be preparing devilries even worse than the dynamiting of the British headquarters in the King David Hotel. The British authorities are pursuing that end with the support of all enlightened opinion but without that full material co-operation of the whole Jewish community in Palestine which alone can ensure full success. That community had sufficient control and discipline to conduct a successful strike through- out the country on July r7th and it should therefore not be beyond its powers to deny all countenance and shelter to the members of the terrorist organisations, including the Irgun Vai Leumi who have admitted their responsibility for the latest act of violence. But delay will be fatal. The Irgun is already a very numerous body and there is little doubt that it is being continually recruited from illegal immigrants from Europe. The Jewish Agency has called upon the community " to rise up against these abominable outrages." If that call were effectively answered, every active terrorist would be in custody in a matter of weeks. But the very sincerity of the call itself is made doubtful by the revelation in the White Paper issued on Wednesday that some officials of the Agency have had dealings with the Hagana, and that the Hagana in turn has co-operated with the Irgun. Clearly one necessary step is a vindication of the Agency's responsibility, which means the removal of some of its members.
But that alone will not solve the Palestine question. The very elements which deplore most loudly the senseless pursuit of violence are themselves organising a campaign of passive resistance which can be equally fatal to reason and good government. The first step towards a right solution, since neither Jews nor Arabs are willing to take it themselves, must be taken by the British Government, as the mandatory authority, with the advice of the conference now proceeding in London between British officials and representatives of President Truman's Cabinet Committee on Palestine. It is reported that this committee is trying to find a middle way between the present regime and outright partition, which was rejected by the Anglo-American Commission last May. It is turning to a federal solution, which would allot a large degree of autonomy to separate Arab and Jewish provinces and reserve certain powers, such as defence and communications, to a federal government in which the British would participate. Now in the first place the fact that the Anglo-American Commission rejected partition does not settle anything. Nor can the recommendation of a federal regime by the present committee—if that is what it does recommend in the end—remove the difficulties of such a regime. It assumes that there are certain important subjects on which Jews and Arabs can co-operate harmoniously—an assumption for which the evidence grows less every day. But there is this to be said for partition and federation alike—that if the attempt is made to admit too,000 more Jews into Palestine, and if they all have to be packed into the Jewish province alone, the absurdity of the suggestion will become even more patent than it is now.
