§ 43. Mr. ORMSBY-GOREasked the Prime Minister what progress is being made with the drafting of the mandate for Palestine; whether His Majesty's Government have made it clear to the Allied and Associated Powers and to the Council of the League of Nations that they will only accept the mandate for Palestine if that mandate embodies in terms the Balfour declaration of November 1917 as defined in the Turkish Peace Treaty; whether any territory east of the Jordan will be included in the area for which Great Britain will be responsible 1073 as mandatory; and what is to be the boundary west of the Jordan and east of the Jordan between the French and British mandatory areas?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINIt is hoped that the Mandate for Palestine may be submitted to the Council of the League of Nations at an early date. With regard to the second part of the question, it has been made abundantly clear to all concerned that in acceptng the Mandate for Palestine His Majesty's Government intend to carry out the declaration originally made by His Majesty's Government on November 2nd, 1917. It would be premature to make any statement in reply to the last two parts of the question until the various boundaries in these areas have been finally settled.