Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-21

IN the new statement of British
policy in Palestine, the London govern
ment is manifestly trying its best to
make q graceful job of maintaining
equilibrium astride the horns of .
dilemma. Great Britain, under its
League Of Nations mandate, is COM
mitted to safeguard the interests of all
races and creeds in the Holy Land.
The Balfour declaration binds the
British to succor the aspirations of
Zionist Jews TO establish a national
home" in Palestine. The empires en-
during need to consider It's vast
MohammeoSn population imposes upon
Britain no &ess grave obligation to
take heed of the susceptibilities Of
100000 Arabs resident In Palestine.
Thus Jew and Moslem present . racial
and religious conflict in which British
craftsmanship Is called upon to play
role difficult and delicate beyond all
possibility of exaggeration.
Last night in London the govern
ment issued q declaration of its future
program, which forthwith stirred the
ire of Zionist leaders DR.. Chain Weiz-
mann, the cultured and able president
of the Jewish agency and of the World
Zionist Organization, announces his
resignation from those posts as a pro-
test against Britain's new policy in
Palestine. He contends bitterly that 1t
will restrict Jewish immigration and
check purchases of land from the Arabs
for settlement by Jews, thus interfering
with the whole plan for establishment
of a Jewish national home" DR.. Weiz-
mann pillories the British proposals
broadly as ian attack on the Zionist
work in Palestine"
The British case for amending land
and immigration conditions IS set forth
in the governments manifesto as fol-
flows:
ct can now definitely be stated that
at the present time and with the pres
emit methods of Arab cultivation there
remains no margin Of land available for
AGRICULTURAL settlement by new imni-
grants with the exception OF such un-
developed land as the various Jewish
agencies hold in reserve.
Provision of margin available Tor
settlement depends upon the progress
made in increasing the productivity Of
land already occupied Jewish settlers
have had every advantage that capital,
science and organization could give
them. To these and to the energy Of
the settlers themselves their remarkable
progress is due. On the other hand,
the Arab population, while lacking the
advantages enjoyed by Jewish settlers,
has. by excess Of births over deaths, in
creased with great rapidity, while the
land available for its subsistence has
passed into Jewish hands"
The Zionist Interpretation of these
afirmations is that they mean, for the
time being at least, government prohi-
bition Of further land purchase by Jews
from Arabs. This Is one Of the de-
mands which the Palestine Arab dele
CATION made Of the British government
in London last Summer. As to immi-
grafton. the government evidently in
tends to leave less authority to the
Jewish Agency than the latter has
hitherto had. To the British proposal
TO delegate the administration Of the
Palestine mandate to q legislative coun-
ell Of twenty-three. with twelve elective
members, the Jewish leaders appear to
have no objections. It Is the new land
and immigration policy that irks them.
DR.. Weizmann, possibly in the COM
prehensibIe first blush Of irritation over
yesterdays developments. suggests that
the eventual result Of them may be the
transfer of the World Zionist Organiza-
tons headquarters from London tc the
United States. In the same dispatches
which mention this contingency the
possibility Of another Irish problem"
between the United States and Great
Britain is limited at. Now and then the
notion has been put forth that Britain's
mandate in Palestine might some day
be transferred to the United States. It
requires little gift of prophecy to pre-
dict that there would be slender hope
Of inducing either the Government or
the people Of the United States to take
such o plunge into the bottomless pit
Of world turmoil.