The Palestine Conference No striking progress could be expected in
the first week of the Palestine Conference, which has been taken up with the statement of the Jewish and the Arab cases. But two encouraging signs may be noted. The leader of the National Defence Party, Ragheb Bey Nashashibi, has at length taken his place with the Palestine delegation, though, as is evident from incidents in Palestine, there is still great hostility to the views he represents ; and Dr. Weizmann, for the Jewish delegation, has expressed the willingness of the Jews to meet the Arabs in round-table discussions. No common ground, however, has yet appeared on which the two delega- tions could meet. A great part of the Arab statement has been taken up with examining the famous correspondence between Sir Henry MacMahon and the Sherif Hussein of Mecca in 1915, and the claim that Palestine was not excluded from the area of Arab independence ; the importance of the documents in Arab eyes has at length persuaded the Govern- ment to publish them as a White Paper. Yet historical inter- pretation is not likely to assist in solving the problem of Palestine at this late date ; whatever solution the Government adopts it must be prepared to have accusations of treachery and duplicity made against Great Britain.
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