UN Palestine Commission – Army supplies for the Arab Legion – Communication from the Jewish Agency for Palestine

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

COMMUNICATION RECEIVED FROM THE JEWISH AGENCY

FOR PALESTINE CONCERNING ARMY SUPPLIES FOR THE ARAB LEGION

The following communication concerning transfer of British Army Supp2 April 1948

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

Communication Received from United Kingdom

Delegation Concerning Palestine Government

Scholars, and Palestine Government Officers

Attending Courses of Instruction outside Palestine.

The following communication has been received from Mr. Fletcher-Cooke of the United Kingdom Delegation:

COPY:ks

UNITED KINGDOM DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Empire State Building, New York, N. Y.

31st March, 1948

CONFIDENTIAL:

My dear Bunche,

I have been asked to bring to the notice of the Commission the position

of

(a) Palestine Government Scholars, and

(b) Palestine Government Officers attending courses of instruction outside Palestine.

2. As regards (a) Palestine Government Scholars, it is proposed that the Government of Palestine should accept financial liability in respect of scholars who have already entered upon a course of study, in respect of the financial and academic year 1948/49 or the date of the termination of the course of study, whichever is the earlier. It is also proposed that the necessary funds should be deposited with the Crown Agents for the Colonies for administration by the Director of Colonial Scholars. The financial liability involved in these arrangements would be included in the truncated estimates which the Government of Palestine are, as the Commission will be aware, preparing in respect of the two months, April and May, 1948.

3. His Majesty’s Government have approved these proposals in principle subject to acceptance by the Commission of liability in respect of the period after the 15th May, 1948, as falling on the successor authorities and I am, therefore, directed to enquire whether the Commission is prepared to agree to these arrangements.

4. Similar arrangements are contemplated as regards (b) Palestine Government Officers now attending courses of instruction outside Palestine, but I am not yet in a position to supply the Commission with complete information on this point.

5. Information regarding (a) Palestine Government Scholars is set out in enclosed note.

Yours sincerely,

J. Fletcher-Cooke (signed)

Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, Principal Secretary

PALESTINE GOVERNMENT SCHOLARS

The Scholarships covered by this scheme fall into two categories: –

(1) Palestine Government Scholarships – full or part;

(2) Colonial Development and Welfare Scholarships.

2. Included in (1) above are three Exhibitions awarded in 1945, 1946, and 1947, i.e. two Medical and one Legal. It has been decided that the two Health Department Exhibitions should be converted into full scholar hips as from 1st April, 1948.

3. Under (2) above, there are six Social Welfare Scholars and one Education Scholar. It is proposed that these seven scholarships (hitherto paid for from Colonial Development and Welfare funds) should be converted into Palestine Government Scholarships as from the date of the termination of the Mandate.

4. Enclosure (A) is a statement of the estimated cost of these scholarships for the periods 1st April 1948 to 30th September 1948 and 1st October 1948 to 30th September 1949 and thereafter until the scholarships are finally completed.

5) It will be seen that the cost in respect of the period let April 1948 to 30th September 1949 is estimated at LP 49,000. For the succeeding years 1949 to 1953 the total cost is estimated at LP 38,000.

6. It will be observed that the estimates are made for the periods ending 30th September each year while the academic year in the United Kingdom terminates at the end of June. In Australia (where there are two scholars) the academic year ends in December. The three or two months after June or December respectively for which provision has been made in the estimates are included in the calculation by way of precaution against any eventuality. In normal circumstances, therefore, a sum of money will be saved at the end of each academic year from the provision for the extra months in the cost of scholars who have fully completed their courses in June or December.

7. Enclosures ‘B1’ to U2’ are schedules indicating the names of scholarship holders and of certain Palestine Government Officers attending courses, containing full particulars of the course of study being followed. It will be observed from these schedules that most of the scholarship courses will not be completed by the end of the academic year 1948/49 and therefore the question of providing funds to enable the holders to complete their courses of study will be a matter for decision by the successor authorities.

J. Fletcher-Cooke (signed) lies from Egypt to Palestine for the use of the Arab legion, has been received from the Jewish Agency for Palestine.

THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE

16 East 66th Street,

New York 21

March 19, 1948

Mr. Karel Lisicky, Chairman

United Nations Palestine Commission

Lake Success, few York

Dear Mr. Lisicky:

One behalf of the Jewish Agency for Palestine I have the honor to submit for the attention of the United Nations Palestine Commission the following information which we have received from entirely trustworthy sources in Palestine.

During the first half of March certain British army supplies were transferred from Egypt to Rafah in Palestine for the use of the Arab Legion. Included in these stores were charging sets, artillery stores, anti-tank rifles and mortars.

The movement into Palestine and the transfer to the Arab Legion of material of this type must necessarily be a source of grave anxiety and the actions of the British authorities in this regard are incomprehensible in the light of their professed neutrality in the present situation in Palestine.

The Jewish Agency desires in this connection to draw the attention of the Commission to reports which appear in today’s press that additional troops of the Arab legion were yesterday moved into Palestine and were welcomed by the Arab Mayor of Hebron as entering “under the authority of the Arab League”.

The Arab Legion, as indicated in previous communications from the Jewish Agency, has, on a number of occasions, been involved in serious attacks on members of the Jewish community. It has been a long-standing and insistent request of the Jewish authorities in Palestine that the Legion should be withdrawn from Palestinian territory. The dangerous implications of augmenting the numbers and equipment of the Arab Legion in Palestine at this time, when the date for the termination of British Mandatory authority there is fast approaching and when there can be no certainty whatever as to the behavior of the Arab Legion and the use to which their arms will be put after that date, are obvious and deeply disturbing.

Sincerely yours,

Arthur Lourie (signed

Director,