The suggestion that the Imperial Wer Council should hold a special meeting to determine the future policy of the British Commonwealth towards Palestine was made in the House of Lords yesterday and was followed by a demand by Noel Baker, Laborite M.P., that a full debate on Palestine should take place in Commons.
“I am sure that we ought soon to have a debate regarding Palestine. The Palestinian matters are so grave and urgent that they deserve a full-day discussion for themselves,” Baker said at last night’s session of the House of Commons.
In the House of Lords the question of submitting the Palestine problem for consideration to the Imperial War Council was raised by Lord Davies. He drew attention to the recent reaffirmation of the Balfour Declaration by Gen. Smuts in his address from South Africa on Balfour Day and asked whether any proposals regarding Palestine have been received by the British Government from the government of South Africa. He wanted to know whether these proposals will be submitted to the Imperial War Council in order to determine the policy which the British Commonwealth is to pursue with regard to the future of Palestine.
Replying to these questions, Lord Moyne, British Colonial Secretary, said that His Majesty’s Government is aware of the views expressed by Gen. Smuts in his broadcast on the occasion of the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, but no definite proposals on the subject have been received from the South African government. Asked by Lord Devles whether such proposals, if received, have any chance of being discussed by the Imperial War Council, the British Colonial Secretary stated that he could not answer a hypothetical question but added that “obviously this matter will need to be considered first by the government.”
It was learned here today that a resume of the correspondence and the discussions between the British Government and the Jewish Agency with regard to the question of the formation of a Jewish Army is now being circulated by the Zionist Executive among British parliamentarians under the title “War Effort and War Potentialities of Palestine Jewry.”
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.
