§ 88. Mr. Harrisonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the object of prohibiting the United Nations Palestine Commission's entry into Palestine until 14 days before we leave.
§ 90. Mr. Platts-Millsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the dissatisfaction expressed by the United Nations Palestine Commission with the British decision not to let the Commission into Palestine more than two weeks before the termination of the mandate, whether he will now reconsider his policy on this point and instruct Sir Alexander Cadogan accordingly.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsIt is considered that there is grave danger of an increase in the scale of the disorders now taking place in Palestine as soon as the United Nations Commission arrive in that country. To advance the date would interfere with the progress of our withdrawal and would greatly increase the burden of the civil government in the closing phase of the Mandatory administration. We have, however, been giving all possible information arising from our experience in Palestine to the United Nations Commission and are ready to grant all reasonable facilities for a nucleus of the Commission's staff to visit Palestine at as early a date as is wished.
§ 89. Mr. Platts-Millsasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make public the full contents of the letter addressed to Sir Alexander Cadogan by the United Nations Palestine Commission expressing dissatisfaction with the British decision not to let the Commission into Palestine more than two weeks before the termination of the Mandate.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsFollowing is the text of the letter addressed to Sir Alexander Cadogan by the Secretary of the United Nations Palestine Commission on 4th February, 1948.
I have the honour to inform you that I have been directed by the United Nations 84W Palestine Commission to communicate to you its views regarding the answer given by you on behalf of your Government at the twenty-seventh meeting of the Commission on 30th January, 1948, to one of the questions which the Commission had presented to you on 19th January.You will recall that the second of the questions relating to the Commission's discharge of its administrative responsibilities was as follows:'Is it to be understood from Sir Alexander's statement to the Commission at its sixth meeting on 14th January that his Government would be "prepared to agree to the Commission's arrival in Palestine shortly before the mandate is terminated, in order that there may be an overlap of say, a fortnight during which the Commission can take up its responsibilities," that the Government of the United Kingdom would not regard favourably a decision of the Commission to come to Palestine at an earlier date if the Commission should consider this necessary for the discharge of its functions?Your formal reply to this question stated that:'His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom would not regard favourably any proposal by the Commission to proceed to Palestine earlier than two weeks before the date of the termination of the mandate.'I am to inform you that it is the considered view of the Commission that this limitation on its arrival in Palestine would make it impossible for the Commission to discharge the responsibilities entrusted to it by the Resolution of the General Assembly. The Commission has been informed that the mandatory power proposes to relinquish its responsibility for the Government of Palestine as a whole and not piecemeal.The Commission recognises the validity of the position taken by the mandatory power that there must not be two concurrent overlapping authorities in Palestine prior to the termination of the mandate and does not therefore seek to exercise any governmental functions before that date. On the other hand the Commission is acutely aware that there is a vast amount of work preparatory to the transfer of authority which will require its presence in Palestine well in advance of the mandates termination.Under the proposed policy of the mandatory power the Commission in two short weeks in Palestine would be required to prepare itself to assume responsibility under most difficult circumstances for the full burden of a complex administrative structure and for maintaining law and order in the country.For these reasons the Commission does not find satisfactory the proposal that the Commission should not come to Palestine until approximately a fortnight before the termination of the mandate and has decided therefore to ask you to be so kind as to convey to your Government this request for reconsideration of its policy in this matter.