(ZIONISM)

His Majesty’s Stationery Office

London

1938

Palestine. Statement by His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom [The White Paper of November, 1938]. * WITH: Another copy printed "Confidential" at the top and pasted on the first page in red lettering: "Not to be published or broadcast in any form, in this country or abroad, before 4 p.m. G.M.T. on Wednesday, 9th November"

Finding impracticable the recommendation of the Peel Commission (1937) that Palestine be partitioned into Arab and Jewish States, His Majesty's Government suggests instead, rather vaguely, “that the surest foundation for peace and progress in Palestine would be an understanding between the Arabs and the Jews…With this end in view, we propose immediately to invite representatives of the Palestinian Arabs and of neighboring States on the one hand and of the Jewish Agency on the other, to confer with them as soon as possible in London regarding future policy.” Alluding to the tactics of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, the following stipulation was added: "As regards the representation of the Palestinian Arabs, His Majesty's Government must reserve the right to refuse to receive those leaders whom they regard as responsible for the campaign of assassination and violence" (p. 4) The primary reason the British deemed it impracticable to partition Palestine, is that while the resulting Jewish State would be economically viable, its Arab counterpart would not: “While the budget of the Jewish State is likely to show a substantial surplus, the budgets of the Arab State (including Trans-Jordan) and of the Mandated Territories are likely to show substantial deficits” (ibid.). See EJ, Vol. XVI, col. 484