The House listened with strained attention when Mr. Ormsby-Gore opened
the discussion on Palestine. He dis- carded his usual air of flippancy and delivered one of the most powerful and moving orations that have been heard at West- minster in recent years. The mandate was regarded by many people almost in the light of a Bible, but circumstances had made it unworkable. The flames of persecution in Europe had driven the Jews to regard Palestine not merely as the centre of the Zionist world but as their one certain refuge. The sense of nationality had enormously increased among both races. On his return to the Colonial Office after an absence of seven years, he had been struck by the tremendous change for the worse since last he was called upon to consider this problem. Both Jews and Arabs had regarded His Majesty's Government with a sense of distrust. The latter dreaded the influence of the Jewish electorate upon the British House of Commons. As far as one could judge, the Minister's arguments were received in most quarters with uneasy agreement. No party regards the proposed partition with anything like satisfaction. But, in spite of the eloquent speeches delivered in criticism of the Commission's proposals, no- one has a genuine alternative to offer.
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