The Palestine Discussions The discussions in progress at Geneva and
Zurich are not so far doing a great deal to make the path of change in Palestine smoother. The members of the Permanent Mandates, Commission have put Mr. Ormsby Gore through an exhaustive examination in regard not only to the British Government's proposals, but to last year's disturbances. No complaint can be made of that. The Commission is only carrying out its plain duty. This is no question, as in the case of Iraq, of raising a mandated territory to independence as a consequence of the success of the regime of tutelage. Independence for Palestine is sought because there tutelage under the conditions of the mandate has broken down. Past and future, therefore, call for extended consideration both by the Mandates Commission and the League Council. At Zurich, where the Zionist Congress is holding a momentous session, Dr. Weizmann, in a characteristically statesmanlike spee:h, has declared for acceptance of the principle of partition, but not for the partition proposed by the Royal Commission ; his great influence will probably determine the Congress's attitude, though its new President, Mr. Ussishkin rejects dr. partition idea. Arab opinion remains intransigent, and the Government of Iraq has sent to Geneva a protest against partition, adding the completely inacceptable demand that Palestine shall become an independent State with a permanent Arab majority. The prospect of a Jewish- Arab agreement on some other basis than partition, never bright, is rapidly fading.
