§ Sir F. SANDERSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the mandate for Palestine conferred upon His Britannic Majesty in April, 1920, by the principal Allied Powers was conferred under the conditions that a Jewish national home should be established in Palestine by the mandatory Powers; and whether the inhabitants of Palestine had before this date shown any unwillingness to accept such Zionist policy for their country?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe principal Allied Powers, in offering, and His Britannic Majesty in accepting, the mandate for Palestine at the meeting of the Supreme Council at San Remo in April, 1920, re-affirmed the declaration first made by Lord Balfour on behalf of His Majesty's Government on 2nd November, 1917, under which His Majesty's Government undertook to facilitate the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people subject to safeguarding the civil and religious rights of the non-Jewish population. In reply to the last part of the question, no such unwillingness had been shown by the inhabitants of Palestine as to deter His Majesty's Government from accepting the mandatory responsibility subject to such conditions.
§ Mr. BECKERasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the nationalities of the non-British Jews who have taken out certificates of citizenship; and whether certificates of citizenship in Palestine entitle holders to enter this country as British citizens?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI have no information as to the exact proportions in which the various nationals of non-British States have applied for provisional certificates of Palestinian nationality. These certificates do not give their holders the status of British subjects, nor do they entitle them to enter this country.
§ Viscount CURZONasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state, as regards the electorate of 2144W Palestine, what percentage of voters are Moslem and Christian Arabs, and what percentage Jewish; and the total number of qualified voters in the country, Christian, Moslem and Jewish, respectively?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe figures of lost year's census were:
Moslems 589,564 Jews 83,794 Christians 73,026 Druzes 7,028 All male Palestinians over 25 years of age are entitled to vote. Registration was completed last month, but actual figures are not yet available.
§ Mr. HARRISONasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what were the totals of British imports into Palestine for the first quarter and for the third quarter of 1922; and what were the totals of the German imports during the same period?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREClassified returns for 1922 have not yet been received, but I will obtain them and forward them to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. HARRISONasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies how many immigrants have landed in Palestine since November, 1918;. what were the numbers of each nationality; and how many of the total were Jews?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe total figure for the period from June to December, 1921, was 4,861, of whom 4,784 were Jews, and for the year 1922 was 8,128, of whom 7,844 were Jews. Figures of non-Jewish immigration from November, 1918, to June, 1921, are not available. The total of Jewish immigration to the end of 1922 is given by the High Commissioner as 27,000.