Colonial Office Silent on Halifax Palestine Statement

The Colonial Office and the Jewish Agency said today that they were unable for the present to comment on the statement of British Ambassador Lord Halifax in Washington that the Government was giving “serious consideration” to readjustment of its administrative policy in Palestine and acceptance of a Palestine army corps on an equal footing with those of the dominions.

(In New York, Zionist circles said they had no information as to the implications of Lord Halifax’s statement and added that Zionist leaders planned to see the Ambassador in Washington soon in an effort to obtain, among other things, clarification of this statement.)

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem correspondent of the periodical Great Britain and the East declares: “Recent parades of the Palestinians have shown how quickly Palestines have adapted themselves to army life. Their drill and marching is as smart as any in the British Army, they take keen interest in their duties and shirk no task that is imposed on them; and they have earned the commendation of their superior British officers.

“Their coolness and courage in tight corners (as witness the ‘mentions’ for Arab and Jewish soldiers and civilians employed with the Army for exemplary conduct during a Haifa air raid) can be attributed, like that of their civilian compatriots, to complete confidence in the ultimate Allied victory. The Palestinian soldiers are becoming seasoned campaigners and will give a good account of themselves in the Middle East theatre of war.”