§ 14. Mr. PETOasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has any information as to whether Haj Tewfik Hammad, Vice-President of the first Palestine Arab Congress and formerly representative of Palestine for many years in the Turkish Parliament, has been indicted, with six other notables of Nablus, on the ground that he has encouraged certain voters not to participate in the election, and whether he has satisfied himself that there is any justification for the accusation?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI understand that a prosecution has been instituted in connection with the proceedings of certain persons in the Samara district at the time of the elections. I am asking for further details.
§ Mr. PETOIs it an indictable offence in Palestine to do what is an ordinary incident of elections in this country?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI understand that the prosecution—I have not the 1890 details—is a prosecution for intimidation.
§ 16. Mr. PETOasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received complaints from the Arab community in Palestine that in the recent abortive elections such secondary nominations as were made were obtained in many cases by fraud and threats, and even forgery; and whether he will hold an inquiry into the methods in which the elections have been conducted?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe answer to both parts of the question is in the negative.