"ملف 61/10 (D 63) العلاقات بين نجد وشرق الأردن (الوضع السياسي في الجوف)" [و‎‎٢‎١‎٤] (٤٣٤/٤٢٧)

2"/
PROCLAMATION.
I have yesterday enacted, as a measure of public urgency, the Courts (Amendment) Or
dinance, 1929, to provide that the Courts of trial for criminal cases arising out of the recent dis
orders shall be composed of British judges.
Representations have been made to me, which point to a belief in the minds of certain
people that the trial of persons charged with criminal acts is to be confined to one section
of the population. This belief does not correctly interpret the intentions of Government, which
are that, since crimes of various descriptions are known to have been perpetrated by both
Arabs and Jews, all offenders without distinction of race or creed will be brought to trial
before the Courts to be set up under the Ordinance enacted by me yesterday.
The Secretary of State for the Colonies has to-day made the following announcement:-
>
"Instructions were issued some days ago by the Palestine Government for
" the collection of evidence before it disappeared as to whether the disorders which
" commenced on the 23rd August were spontaneous or preconcerted. In the mean-
" time, while His Majesty's Forces are actively co-operating with the Palestine
Government in restoring order, energetic steps are being taken by the civil autho-
" rities to bring to trial guilty individuals. Many arrests have been made and con-
siderable progress has already been made in dealing with summary cases. Special
" measures are being taken to provide for impartial tribunals to cope with what
" will probably be a large number of cases.
"At the request of the High Commissioner the Secretary of State for the
" Colonies is appointing a Commission of Inquiry which will proceed to Palestine
" this month to inquire into the immediate causes which have led to the recent
" outbreak, including the extent to which it may be regarded as having been pre-
" concerted or due to organised action.
i 11
" The Chairman of the Commission will be Sir Walter Shaw, late Chief
" Justice of the Straits Settlements, and there will be associated with him three
Members of Parliament, selected one from each of the three political parties.
" In view of the suggestions which have been made in certain quarters, the
" Secretary of State desires to make it clear that His Majesty's Government have no
" idea of reconsidering the British tenure of the Mandate for Palestine, and that no
" inquiry is contemplated which might alter the position of this country in re
gard to the Mandate or policy, laid down in the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and
embodied in the Mandate, of establishing in Palestine a national home for the Jews.
" The Inquiry now initiated is therefore limited to the immediate emergency
and will not extend to considerations of major policy. When its report has been
" received it will be a matter of earnest consideration by His Majesty's Govern-
ment along what lines, w^hin the terms of the Mandate, future policy in Pales-
" tine should be directed."
JERUSALEM, this fourth day of September, 1929.
J. R. CHANCELLOR
HIGH COMMISSIONER AND
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
Greek Conv. Press.