Evening star., 1946-10-06
Mr.. Trumon on Palestine

President Truman's latest state
ment on Palestine is OF such a
nature that many people, here and
abroad, will be hard put to escape
the conclusion that at this particular
moment it seems designed more to
meet domestic political considera-
tions than to hasten a solution OF
the Palestine problem.
This suspicion, right or wrong, is
fed by the fact that the statement
itself uses words that seem to be
addressed primarily to American
Jews to remind them, in a self
laudatory spirit, OF "the record OF
the administrations efforts" in con-
nection with the Holy Land. It is a
fact, too, although it may be an
entirely coincidental fact, that the
statement was released on the eve
of Yom Kippur, the solemn Jewish
day of atonement, and at the
height of the campaign for next
months election in pivotal New
York, where the large Jewish vote
is crucial and where the Zionists--
with whom many Jews disagree
have been militantly agitating to
do away with immigration barriers
to Palestine.
Moreover, as far as the British are
concerned, the suspicion of politics
must be heightened for them by the
fact that the President issued the
statement--calling upon them to
permit an immediate substantial
immigration" of European Jews into
the Holy Land-after Prime Min
lister Attlee had urged him not to
do so, on the ground that the action,
coming at just this moment, would
tend to complcate the delicate
Anglo-Jewish-Arab negotiations and
"jeopardize a settlement of this diff
ficult problem"
On the face of things, and assum-
ing that the statement has no bear
ing whatever on the New York elec-
ton, it is difficult to see just what
the President hopes to accomplish
by the move. Possibly he has good
reason to believe that it will speed
up a solution between now and
December Is, when the recessed
Palestine Conference is scheduled to
reconvene, but the first British and
Arab reactions suggest quite the
contrary. Thus, one Arab spokes-
man has served notice that if Mr..
Truman wants an immediate sub
stantial" influx of Jews into the
Holy Land he will need 100000
American troops to enforce his wish
an extremist and irresponsible
view, of course, but one that serves
nevertheless as an index to temper.
AS for the British, the whole ques-
ton adds up to such an explosive
situation for them that it is under
standable If they are not much
impressed by the Presidents asSer-
ton that the United States will help
out with financial and Xansporta-
ton assistance, at the same time
offering no assurance of willing
ness to share responsibility, in
military sense, in case Britain's
fears materialize.
Considering its timing and con-
tent, in short, Mr.. Truman's state
ment raises the serious question
whether it might not in the long run
do more harm than good. To be
sure, anything calculated to speed
up the coming of a better day for
Europe's desperate and sorely tried
Jews ought to receive the utmost
commentator and encouragement.
Unfortunately, however, unless the
surface signs are misleading, the
President appears to have taken an
ill-advised step in this instance,
especially since it seems merely to
have resulted in stiffening the Arabs
and offending the harried British
who are more or less between the
devil and the deep blue sea.