HL Deb 20 May 1925 vol 61 cc417-20

LORD RAGLAN had the following Notice on the Paper:—

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated total area of land in Palestine, exclusive of the Southern Desert, available for cultivation; what is the total area now cultivated by Arabs and Jews respectively; and how much of the remainder is considered available for Jewish settlement; and to move for Papers.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the Secretary of State for the Colonies has recently made a tour in the Middle East, during which he took the opportunity to investigate the land question in Palestine. I thought this would be a convenient time to ask for further information upon the subject. There are several reasons, I think, why this information should be given. In the first place, successive Secretaries of State for the Colonies have laid it down that the Jews would only be admitted to Palestine as they could be absorbed, but, in spite of this and of the number of Jews that have been admitted to Palestine in the last three years, amounting to 30,000 or 35,000, not more than 2,000 or 3,000 have been settled on the land, and the remainder have gone to overcrowd the already crowded Jewish quarters in Haifa, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. Another reason is that I understand that all over Central and Eastern Europe there are bodies of Jews who are studying agriculture with a view to becoming colonists in Palestine. It is therefore, I think, the duty of Parliament to publish to the world at large exactly what the facts are with regard to agriculture in Palestine.

The area of Palestine is about 9,000 square miles. This area includes a large strip of land running down to the Gulf of Akaba. This strip of land is not properly a part of Palestine, for it is uninhabited and uninhabitable, and it is really a part of the Sinai Desert. In area it amounts to about 3,500 square miles. Palestine, without this, embraces about 5,500 square miles, an area considerably less than that of Yorkshire. I think we might fairly take Yorkshire as a basis of comparison, owing to the fact that, like Palestine, much of it is extremely fertile and much of it very barren. According to the last census of Yorkshire, the total area of the rural districts was about 5,000 square miles and the population of those districts was about 600,000. In Palestine the population of the rural areas was about 500,000 Arabs, the Jewish population of the rural areas being quite small, about 15,000. We find that the population of rural Yorkshire is 120 to the square mile, compared with a population of about 90 per square mile in rural Palestine. It seems, therefore, that if Palestine, as seems possible, can be brought up to the density of population in Yorkshire, it would be able to absorb another 150,000 agriculturists.

I am not going to venture to make suggestions as to how much land there is available for Jews, but it must be remembered that, in the first place, the population of Palestine is now less than it was before the War—it suffered very greatly during the War—although it is increasing rapidly now. Another fact to be remembered is that the parts which are most sparsely populated are the Jordan Valley and the parts on the fringe of the Southern Desert, and these, owing to the extreme heat of the climate in summer, are the parts least suited for European settlement. This further fact has not to be overlooked, that considerable areas of the higher land, notably the districts of Nablus and Hebron, are closed to Jewish settlers. I beg to move for Papers.

THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (EARL STANHOPE)

My Lords, the total area of Palestine is approximately 27,000,000 donums, a donum being rather less than a quarter of an acre—4.4 donums equals one acre. Of this area the Southern Desert embraces 7,000,000 donums, and some 7,500,000 donums are accounted for by towns, villages, railways, roads and uncultivable land, thus leaving an area of 12,500,000 donums available for cultivation. Approximately 9,000,000 donums are cultivated by Arabs (about one-third lying fallow each year); 850,000 donums by Jews, and 150,000 donums by others. Thus about 2,500,000 donums remain uncultivated, and of this probably not more than 1,500,000 donums would in any case be available for Jewish settlement, the remainder being made up of small and unsuitable plots of land. I should point out, however, that in the absence of a survey of Palestine and a proper classification of land, it is not possible to give accurate figures. In particular, the area available for settlement must be largely a matter of conjecture. I might add that, apart from the figures given in this reply, there are schemes by which areas of land may be put under irrigation, so that some of the land which is at present described as uncultivable will, we hope, in future years be possible for cultivation.

LORD RAGLAN

In thanking the noble Earl for his answer, and in withdrawing my Motion for Papers, may I say I think the figures which he has given are rather difficult to digest straight away, but, as I understand him, it appears that of the cultivable land in Palestine three-quarters is at present cultivated by Arabs. The whole basis of Zionism is the slogan: "The land without people for the people without the land," and I think the answer I have received from the noble Earl very effectively disposes of that slogan.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.