"ملف ٣٢/١١ اللجنة الملكية المعنية بفلسطين" [ظ‎‎٩] (٣٠٨/١٨)

character of the National Home and that of the Arab world around
it is striking. The temper of the Home is strongly nationalist.
There can be no question of fusion or assimilation between Jewish
and Arab cultures. The National Home cannot be half-national.
Crown Colony government is not suitable for such a highly
educated, democratic community as the National Home and fosters
an unhealthy irresponsibility.
The National Home is bent on forcing the pace of its development
not only because of the desire of the Jews to escape from Europ^
but because of anxiety as to the future in Palestine.
The Arab population shows a remarkable increase since 192|^
and it has had some share in the increased prosperity of Palestil?.
Many Arab landowners have benefited from the sale of land and
the profitable investment of the purchase money. The fellaheen are
better off on the whole than they were in 1920. This Arab progress
has been partly due to the import of Jewish capital into Palestine
and other factors associated with the growth of the National Home.
In particular, the Arabs have benefited from social services which
could not have been provided on the existing scale without the
revenue obtained from the Jews.
Such economic advantage, however, as the Arabs have gained
from Jewish immigration will decrease if the political breach between
the races continues to widen.
Arab nationalism is as intense a force as Jewish. The Arab
leaders’ demand for national self-government and the shutting down
of the Jewish National Home has remained unchanged since 1920.
Like Jewish nationalism, Arab nationalism is stimulated by the
educational system and by the growth of the Youth Movement. It
has also been greatly encouraged by the recent Anglo-Egyptian and
Franco-Syrian Treaties. A
I he gulf between the races is thus already wide and will contimi^]
to widen if the present Mandate is maintained.
The position of the Palestine Government between the two
antagonistic communities is unenviable. There are two rival
bodies—the Arab Higher Committee allied with the Supreme Moslem
Council on the one hand, and the Jewish Agency allied with the
\ a ad Leumi on the other—who make a stronger appeal to the
natural loyalty of the Arabs and the Jews than does the Government
of Palestine. The sincere attempts of the Government to treat the
two races impartially have not improved the relations between them.
Nor has the policy of conciliating Arab opposition been successful.
The events of last year proved that conciliation is useless.
The evidence submitted by the Arab and Jewish leaders respect
ively was directly conflicting and gave no hope of compromise.