On Tuesday a White Paper was published explaining British policy
in Palestine. This must not be confused with the general declaration of future policy in Palestine which is urgently needed in order to remove the uncer- tainties that were at the root of all the mischief in Palestine, and which will no doubt come in due course when Sir John Simpson has completed his inquiries. The White Paper has another object. It is to be laid before the Permanent Mandates Commission. It approves' of the findings of the Shaw Commission which inquired into the disturbances last year, and describes what has already been done in the way of reorganizing and increasing the police. If the Mandates Commission wants information on still more important questions, such as how to prevent the Arabs from being displaced as owners and cultivators of the land, it will have to be content for the present with tentative answers.
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