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I I S DOCUMENT I S THE PROPERTY OP H I S BRITANNIC M A J E S T Y ' S
S E C R E T
C P . (08)
kth
GOVERHMENT)
COPY NO.
?
0
00
February,
19U-8.
CABINET
PALESTINE:
WITHDRAWAL OF B R I T I S H
Memorandum b y t h e
Secretary
of
State
ADMINISTRATION
for
the
Colonies
The U n i t e d N a t i o n s Commission have b e e n i n f o r m e d , and
i t has been p u b l i c l y announced, t h a t i t i s our i n t e n t i o n
to
t e r m i n a t e B r i t i s h c i v i l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n P a l e s t i n e on
1 5 t h M a y , 191+8.
The p o s s i b i l i t y of a d v a n c i n g t h i s d a t e was
r e c e n t l y r e - e x a m i n e d b y me i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e S e c r e t a r y
of S t a t e f o r F o r e i g n A f f a i r s and t h e M i n i s t e r of D e f e n c e , and
we r e a c h e d t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t t h e r e p e r c u s s i o n s o n t h e m i l i t a r y
p l a n of s e l e c t i n g an e a r l i e r d a t e c o u l d not b e a c c e p t e d .
2.
British civil administration is s t i l l being
m a i n t a i n e d o v e r t h e whole of P a l e s t i n e , and i t i s n o t t h e
i n t e n t i o n t o c l o s e down a n y D e p a r t m e n t b e f o r e t h e t e r m i n a t i o n
of t h e M a n d a t e .
In t h e p r e s e n t d i s t u r b e d c o n d i t i o n s ,
however,
t h e r a n g e and e f f e c t i v e n e s s of c e r t a i n d e p a r t m e n t a l
functions
are n e c e s s a r i l y r e s t r i c t e d and d i f f i c u l t y i s b e i n g e n c o u n t e r e d
t h r o u g h t h e r e l u c t a n c e of J e w i s h and Arab s t a f f t o r e p o r t
for
d u t y t h r o u g h f e a r o f m o l e s t a t i o n bjr m e m b e r s o f t h e o t h e r
community.
This l a t t e r tendency has been most n o t i c e a b l e in
J e r u s a l e m , a l t h o u g h i n t h e l a s t tv/o w e e k s i m p r o v e m e n t i n t h e
a t t e n d a n c e s of l o c a l s t a f f h a s b e e n c o n t i n u o u s .
3.
Although f u l l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s r e t a i n e d by t h e
Mandatory Government, s t e p s are b e i n g taken to devolve c e r t a i n
f u n c t i o n s o f g o v e r n m e n t on t h e l o c a l i n h a b i t a n t s .
Palestinians
a r e b e i n g a p p o i n t e d t o p e r f o r m t h e d u t i e s of B r i t i s h
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e o f f i c e r s a s t h e l a t t e r p r o c e e d on l e a v e .
L e g i s l a t i o n is being prepared to give local a u t h o r i t i e s wider
p o w e r s , e . g . , of t a x a t i o n , and c e r t a i n e s s e n t i a l
public
u t i l i t i e s are b e i n g handed over t o them.
In t h e f i e l d of
public s e c u r i t y l o c a l arrangements are a l s o b e i n g made.
British
p o l i c e have been w i t h d r a w n from t h e T e l - A v i v a r e a and,
except
f o r d i v i s i o n a l h e a d q u a r t e r s , f r o m N a b l u s , Heb*ron, J e r i c h o , a n d
c e r t a i n i s o l a t e d p o l i c e posts in n o r t h e r n P a l e s t i n e .
In t h e
former area r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r i n t e r n a l s e c u r i t y has been
handed over t o 0 Jewish Guard F o r c e m a i n t a i n e d b y t h e Jewish
Agency and in t h e l a t t e r d i s t r i c t s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s c a r r i e d
b y t h e A r a b s of t h e P a l e s t i n e P o l i c e F o r c e u n d e r B r i t i s h command.
In t h e s e Arab a r e a s t h e l o c a l p o l i c e have been r e i n f o r c e d by
some B r i t i s h t r o o p s f o r g e n e r a l s e c u r i t y .
An A r a b M u n i c i p a l
p o l i c e f o r c e h a s b e e n s e t up i n J a f f a and a r r a n g e m e n t s a r e i n
h a n d f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g s i m i l a r f o r c e s i n 18 o t h e r A r a b t o w n s .
By t h e e n d of F e b r u a r y ' i t i s h o p e d t o h a v e f o r m e d i n J e r u s a l e m
a M u n i c i p a l p o l i c e f o r c e of 600, h a l f Jew and H a l f A r a b .
A
c o u n t r y w i d e scheme f o r t h e e n r o l m e n t of armed s p e c i a l c o n s t a b l e s
t o p o l i c e Arab v i l l a g e s has been s t a r t e d .
All these forces
r e m a i n u n d e r t h e d i r e c t i o n of t h e I n s p e c t o r - G e n e r a l of P o l i c e
a n d w i l l o n l y p a s s f u l l y t o l o c a l c o n t r o l on t h e t e r m i n a t i o n o f
the Mandate.
IT) F-3
i f f
4.
The e v a c u a t i o n of B r i t i s h o f f i c i a l s and t h e i r families has begun.
S i n c e 1 s t F e b r u a r y , 51 B r i t i s h
officials, a n d 12 w i v e s a n d 5 c h i l d r e n o f B r i t i s h o f f i c i a l s h a v e l e f t Palestine.
370 b e r t h s have been r e s e r v e d f o r B r i t i s h
officers of t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n and t h e i r f a m i l i e s f o r F e b r u a r y and d u r i n g March and A p r i l 200 w i l l s a i l e v e r y f o r t n i g h t from H a i f a . T h e b a l a n c e o f dOO w i l l l e a v e P a l e s t i n e i n s m a l l e r c o n t i n g e n t s by v e s s e l s c a r r y i n g t h e orange crop and by a i r .
It is i n t e n d e d t h a t a l l B r i t i s h w i v e s and c h i l d r e n of o f f i c i a l s
shall b e o u t of t h e c o u n t r y o n e month b e f o r e t h e t e r m i n a t i o n of t h e Mandate.
5*
The c o m m e r c i a l a c t i v i t y of t h e c o u n t r y h a s b e e n
severely restricted.
Labour d i f f i c u l t i e s have been
e n c o u n t e r e d where Arabs and Jews n o r m a l l y work t o g e t h e r a n d
t h e r e i s c o n s e q u e n t l y some c o n g e s t i o n i n H a i f a a n d J a f f a
ports.
The c i t r u s e x p o r t programme i s somewhat b e h i n d s c h e d u l e b u t
p r o s p e c t s of c o m p l e t i o n a r e f a i r i f t h e p r e s e n t r a t e i s
maintained.
The e x p o r t of c i t r u s i s n o t i m p e d i n g t h e p l a n n e d
b u t V o a d
military withdrawal.
Railways continue to operate
transport is -considerably r e s t r i c t e d .
Difficulty is being
e x p e r i e n c e d t h r o u g h t h e s h o r t a g e of o i l f u e l due t o t h e
temporary stoppage at the Haifa r e f i n e r i e s .
Work t h e r e w a s
r e s u m e d on a s m a l l s c a l e on 2 2 n d J a n u a r y a n d i f t h e r e a r e n o
f u r t h e r s e t - b o c k s f u l l production should be a t t a i n e d w i t h i n
three weeks.
6.
T h e r e i s a n o t i c e a b l e d e c l i n e i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n of
revenue.
As t h e a s s e s s m e n t of t h e t e r m i n a l l i a b i l i t i e s o f
t h e P a l e s t i n e Government p r o c e e d s , i t i s becoming e v i d e n t
that
i t s a v a i l a b l e balances w i l l not suffice to meet a l l commitments.
A d e f i c i t of a t l e a s t £ 4 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 i s expected.
T h i s can b e
a t t r i b u t e d mainly to heavy expense involved in meeting the c o s t s
o f t h e C y p r u s camps a n d i n p a y m e n t of t e r m i n a l b e n e f i t s t o
Government s e r v a n t s .
7.
U n i t s of t h e T r a n s j o r d a n A r a b L e g i o n i n P a l e s t i n e ,
who a r e t o b e r e t u r n e d t o T r a n s j o r d a n b e f o r e t h e t e r m i n a t i o n o f
t h e c i v i l government, o r e employed in s t a t i c guard and e s c o r t
d u t y and n o t i n d e a l i n g w i t h communal d i s o r d e r s .
Disarmament
a n d d i s b a n d r a e n t of t h e T r a n s j o r d a n F r o n t i e r F o r c e h a s now b e g u n
a t i t s b a s e a t Zerka in T r a n s j o r d a n .
TransJordanians a n d
S y r i a n s w i l l b e d i s c h a r g e d t h e r e and w i l l n o t e n t e r P a l e s t i n e .
E g y p t i a n s and P a l e s t i n i a n s w i l l b e d i s c h a r g e d a t Samakh i n
Palestine.
It is intended to repatriate to their
countries
o f o r i g i n a l l t h o s e m e m b e r s of t h e F o r c e who a r e n o t P a l e s t i n i a n s ,
8.
P r o s p e c t s of improvement in t h e s e c u r i t y
situation
a r e n o t good.
C o n f l i c t in Jerusalem has subsided and t h e r e
i s some hope t h a t t h e s i t u a t i o n t h e r e w i l l n o t d e t e r i o r a t e
u n l e s s some s e r i o u s a c t of p r o v o c a t i o n i s c o m m i t t e d b y o n e o f
the communities.
The g e n e r a l s i t u a t i o n i s much c o m p l i c a t e d
by t h e r e c e n t e n t r y from n e i g h b o u r i n g Arab S t a t e s o f l a r g e
bands of trained g u e r i l l a s .
A f o r c e of some 3 0 0 f r o m S y r i a
has e s t a b l i s h e d i t s e l f in t h e h i l l s o f G a l i l e e and a second
l a r g e b a n d of some 700 h a s e n t e r e d S a m a r i a v i a
Transjordan.
T h i s l a t t e r b a n d i s now r e p o r t e d t o h a v e b e e n r e i n f o r c e d b y a
c o n t i n g e n t o f some 9 0 0 w h i c h h a s a l s o e n t e r e d v i a
Transjordan.
Arab governments a p p e a r b o t h powerless and u n w i l l i n g to r e s t r i c t
t h e movements of t h e s e armed b a n d s and t h e n a t u r e o f t h e
[Palestine land f r o n t i e r s , t o g e t h e r with the o t h e r commitments
of t h e s e c u r i t y f o r c e s , m a k e s i t i m p o s s i b l e f o r t h e P a l e s t i n e
[Government t o b e c e r t a i n of d e n y i n g e n t r y t o s u c h b a n d s .
The
p r e s e n t p o l i c y of t h e i n v a d e r s i s t o d i s p e r s e a m o n g s t t h e
[ v i l l a g e s on t h e i r a r r i v a l a n d c o n s e q u e n t l y t h e y d o n o t p r e s e n t
a formed body which can be d r i v e n out by our f o r c e s .
Should
a major engagement o c c u r between t h e s e c u r i t y f o r c e s and t h e s e
armed bands w i t h i n P a l e s t i n e t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s a r e bound t o be
grave.
A. C o J .
polonial
Office,
U/th F e b r u a r y ,
S.W.1.
19U8.