November 10, 1938 Palestine Deception of Great Britain

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

 “British Give U.S.

Palestine Pledge

MacDonald Bars Invitation to

Parley, but Promises to

Protect our interest

‘NEIGHBORS’ TO GET BIDS

Arab – Populated Countries

Asked to Send Delegates to London Round Table

“Mr. Mac Donald (e.g. Colonial Secretary) also assured questioners that there was no possibility that the Jews in the Conference would be outvoted by a larger number of Arab delegates from Palestine and ‘neighboring States.’  The discussions at the outset, he said, would be between the Arabs and the British Government and between the Jewish Agency and the British Government…

He disclosed for the first time that invitations had been sent to the governments of Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Trans-Jordan and Yemen. Yemen is not a ‘neighboring country,’ being more than a thousand miles down the Red Sea from the southern tip of Palestine.

No invitation will be sent to the Arabs of Syria and Lebanon, which are French mandated territories ‘and consequently stand on a different footing,’ Mr. MacDonald announced. He added that Great Britain would keep the French Government informed of ‘all developments which may be of interest to Syria and Lebanon.’

As for the Mufti of Jerusalem, who is now in Syrian territory, Mr. MacDonald declared ‘his record over many years makes him wholly unacceptable’ as a delegate to the conference.”

Source: New York Times November 11, 1938