Evening star., 1938-08-28
HOLY LAND STUDY
REPORT AWAITED
Commission on Partition
May Propose Some Other
Solution.
BY FRANK SMOTHERS.

A~hA~A oVuO Hmm,
Chicaso Daily News Foreign correspondent.
JERUSALEM (By Air MaiD In
the midst Of bloody conflict which
left no doubt OF the urgency Of its
task the Palestine Partition Com
mission has left this country for Eng
land. where, after further hearings,
it will make its report on partition
to the British government. None
knows In advance what the COM
mission will recommend. 1t was sent
here to work out a detailed plan of
partition II feasible-along the gen
eral lines outlined by the Peel Com
mission in 1887, which proposed a
Jewish state, an Arab state and a
British administered corridor.
Most Of the present commissions
hearings in Palestine have been Sc
cret. 1t has heard the Zionist case
at length. Certain Jewish and Brit
ish witnesses appeared independently.
No Arabs have appeared before it,
for the Arabs, opposed without quar-
ter to partition, have boycotted the
commission.
No men could spend, however, as
this commission has, three months
In the Holy Land without learning
what in essence are the Arab objec-
tions to a Jewish ma ajority and domi-
nation-there are now approximately
100000 Jews in Palestine against
more than 100000 Arabs-and
against partition.
The commission, many believe, will
report some definite plan Of parti-
tion with detailed boundary lines.
But that by no means signifies that
the British government will neces-
sarily adopt the plan and submit it
to the League of Nations, from which
1t holds the Palestine mandate. The
Partition Commission itself may pos
s1bly suggest an alternative solution
to partition. At all events numerous
students of the woefully tangled prob
lem Of the Holy Land are increas-
ingly doubtful that partition will be
the solution or that the British gov
ernment will, when all is considered,
attempt to impose 1t. There "a, sc-
cordingly, large interest in other
schemes, including those which NAV
be called "cantonization" or county
system"
Meantime approximately 10000
British troops now in Palestine, to-
gether with large reinforcements
scheduled to arrive in September, may
be able to greatly reduce or stop for
the time being the wholesale dis
orders which characterize the present.
But no peace" imposed by force of
arms will be impressive No student
will contend that it can take the
place of a political solution.
Too often have the basic causes Of
the Palestine conflict brought periods
of acute disorder-in 1921, 1929. 1893,
1885 and l938-and too steadily has
the basic conflict and bitterness con-
tinued between these periods to per-
nit any confidence in a solution BY
force alone-save as temporary stop
gap pending solution, If any is
possible. OF the Arab-Jewish quarrel.
The British government is not COM
mitted TO partition, although 1t did
tentatively express its opinion that
the recommendation for partition by
the Peel Commission in 1887 was "the
best and most hopeful solution"
Those who believe Britain will not At
tempt it are convinced that a noun
tain OF dificulties confront any pro-
gram OF partition. and that Britain
will recognize these as too grave to
justify the attempt
(Copyrisht. 1885. by chicaso Daily News.