Evening star., 1946-05-05
Arabs May Ask Russia
To Champion Cause in
Palestine Before j. n.
BY the Asseeiatsd Press

LONDON, May A. Several
Arab groups are reported plan
ming to send a delegation to
Moscow to ask the Russians to
champion their cause in Pales-
tine before the United Nations,
an Arab League spokesman said
today in Cairo.
The Arab delegation would not
only ask the Russians to bring the
subject of Palestine before the
United Nations, but also would re-
quest the Soviet Union to support
the Arabs in Palestine against the
British American report" the
spokesman said, quoting Palestine
reports.
Musa Alami, second in command
OF the majority Arab party in
Jerusalem, refused to deny or con-
firm the Cairo report. Unoficial
Arab sources said they did not know
of any appeal to Russia to place
the Palestine issue before the United
Nations.
Grand Mufti May Return.
In Palestine Arab leaders, ap-
parentiy more closely united than
at any time in the past two decades,
were speculating that the exiled
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem would
return to the Middle East from
France within month to lead them
in opposing British American pro-
posals that 100000 European Jews
be permitted to migrate to the Holy
Land.
Heads Of all the Arab states were
said to be discussing the report Of
the British American Inquiry Com
mittee, and advices from Cairo said
an extraordinary meeting of the
seven states in the Arab League had
been decided on. Lebanon was ad-
vanced as tentative place, but no
date was mentioned.
There was no official reaction from
the Soviet capital on the Palestine
issue. but the Moscow radio took
Icognizance of the situation, report
ing yesterdays general strike and
the Arab Higher Committees pro-
test to British Prime Minister Attlee.
A Reuters dispatch from Jeru-
salem said Gen. Sir Alan Cunning
ham, high commissioner of Pales-
tine, had asked the committee to
withdraw its protest, which rejected
the recommendation of the British
American report.
Holy Land Is Quiet.
The Holy Land was quiet on the
Jewish sabbath after yesterdays
one-day strike by the country,s l.
5000 Arabs in protest against the
report.
Zionist officials in Palestine were
silent. The Voice of Israel" radio
reported IS Jews were arrested by
the Lebanese gendarmerie yesterday
while trying to cross from Syria
into Palestine.
The return of Hal Amin Husseini,
the exiled Grand Mufti, to Syria
or Lebanon was talked about freely
by high Arab officials, but they
would not permit themselves to be
quoted by name. They said his
influence would be a guiding factor
In the current political crisis.
Apparently few Arabs question
thA muftis pro-Axisrrecord in the
war, which has led to demands
that he be tried as a war criminal.
THE multi merely agreed with
Churchill" said an Arab ONCE
| spokesman, that sometimes one
must team up with the devil against
ones enemies"
Bashdad Area Out Of Bounds.
In Iraq British Army authorities,
taking precaution against any trou-
BILE with the Arab populace, declared
the east bank of the Tigris River in
Baghdad out of bounds for all
British troops.
Bitter attacks against Britain's
"imperialistic aims" and demands
for severance of relations with the
United States were voiced in Irao's
parliamentary chambers at a meet
ing of the National Committee for
the Defense of Palestine.
Palestine is a matter of death