That the Colonial Office is chary of agreeing to the proposal now being urged by Sir Arthur Grenfell Wauchope to constitute a legislative council for Palestine immediately, is a statement carried under bold headlines in Falastin, Jaffa, Arabic daily, which quotes a London correspondent as saying that the High Commissioner’s plan is meeting with almost insuperable proposals.
Jewish representatives in the metropolis, declares the paper, demand equal Jewish and Arab share and the elimination from the purview of the council of matters of fundamental policy, such as Jewish immigration and land purchases.
But the High Commissioner, on the other hand, is definitely opposed to giving parity of representation to Arabs and Jews, and insists upon proportional elections, the paper states.
DECISION IN NOVEMBER
The negotiations would have broken down but for the intervention of a former distinguished British personage who was previously in the Palestine Civil Service, according to Falastin which adds that Sir Arthur will reach a decision on the matter at the end of November, when he returns to Palestine.
This correspondent is reliably informed by local authorities that the establishment of a legislative council may be regarded more or less as a fait accompli, however, and while there may be some reluctance at the Colonial Office to court the opposition of world-wide Jewish opinion, there is no truth to the statements that the High Commissioner is meeting with “insuperable difficulties,” as the Arab newspaper writes, although of course the matter is not having such a smooth passage as it might otherwise have had.
BOYCOTT NOT CERTAIN
But what is perhaps likely is that certain people, Jews as well as Arabs, living in Palestine will accept government appointments to the council if the Arabs and the Jews boycott the elections. Among the Arabs such a boycott is none too certain, although a section of the Arab press advocates it. There has recently been a tendency to accept the council as the first step toward wider autonomy. But the Jewish population will definitely not go to the polls, and there are political elements among the Jewish community who will, because of their conviction that such a council is needed for the promotion of better Arab-Jewish relations, without doubt accept such appointments, is the firm belief of observers here.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
