Evening star., 1939-05-21
BY CreSf0n B. Mullins.


| state, which will cover, it is hoped, only
the next 10 years, is sufficiently elastic
to permit Of any one of several systems
being adopted to assure the Jews an
| equitable share in the government. Dur
| ing the transitional period Palestinan
| citizens will be given increasing par
| ticlpatlon in government, and this new
ofticialdom will be drawn from both Jews
and Arabs. Before independence Pales-
tinians are to be in charge of all de-
partments of government, with British
advisers.
permanent constitution will not be
| established until the end of five years,
at which time representatives of the
people Of Palestine as we'll as the British
government will recommend a definitive
form for the Palestine state
A treaty with Great Britain will pro-
vide for four things: Security of and free
access to the holy places, protection of
various communities in Palestine and
of the Jewish national home, strategic
requirements and preservation of the
interests of foreign countries in Pales-
tine.
In this last connection the United
States has its chief interest According
to the Anglo American treaty of 1924.
the British government agrees not to
make any change in the status of the
mandate affecting American rights
without the assent of the American
Government. These rights pertain par
ticularly to the old capitulations-righ
of foreigners to be tried by their own
consular courts under their own laws
and to enjoy certain fiscal exemptions
eXtradltion. equality of treatment of
Americans and rights of Americans to
establish educational philanthropic and
religious institutions in Palestine
Thus, some time before Great Britain
takes the matter before the League of
Nations, as she must do in order to re-
linquish the mandate, she will have to
consult the United States on the manner
in which this country's rights will be
Safeguarded in the new Palestine con-
stltutlon. That does not mean that the
United States can prevent rendition of
occasion for some pointed questions as
TO the Jewish position in the new con-
Stitution, inasmuch as lot of American
Jewish capital has gone and is continu-
ally going to Palestine.
Legislature Undecided.
The ultimate form of an elective legis-
lative is expediently left open, for it is
at the very heart of the dispute between
Jews and Arabs. The question is
whether the Jews will be given parity of
representation in any such assembly or
whether they will be limited to the
status of minority with only minority
representation.
Jewry has been united in demanding
parity with the Arabs regardless of in
feriority in numbers, Some sections of
the Zionist movement-mainly the radi-
cal Revisionists-insist on free and un-
restricted immigration in order that the
Jews might attain majority immedi-
ately. The moderates however, content
themselves with insisting upon equality
Of representation while taking more
conciliatory view on immigration
In that Britain has not attempted to
solve this most perplexing of all con-
stitutional problems at this time, the
road is left open for such expedients as
federation and other means of balanc-
ing off the population supremacy of the
Arabs.
Federation. unfortunately, has been
miSerably neglected as possible Solu-
ton. 1t could be established on mar
row basis of division of the population
into Jewish and Arab groups, each of
which would have an equal voice in the
legislative branch of the government,
or it could be carried into virtually every
phase of human existence, with pro-
vision for special courts and separate
laws for both Jews and Arabs. Separate
citizenships are even possible.
Federation has proved successful in
numerous instances, Switzerland being
the most notable. Although Belgium is
not a federation it has reconciled its
Flemish and Walloon peoples by per-
mitting each, more or less, to follow it's
own path, inspiring in both loyalty to
the Belgian crown which outweighs their
natural sympathies with neighboring
peoples. The same would not be impos-
sible in Palestine.
immigration Big Problem.
But more immediate than the question
of what legislative form will be worked
out is the problem of immigration, for
the extent to which Jews are permitted
to if1lmigrate will determine largely the
final constitutional form that is adopted.
The British government hopes It has