Jerusalem-forum@wanadoo.jo

Peace Proposals

The members of the Palestine Royal Commission which was appointed in August 1936, were:

• Rt. Hon. Earl Peel (Chairman)

• Rt. Hon. Sir Horace Rumbold (Vice Chairman)

• Sir Laurie Carter

• Sir Morris Carter

• Sir Harold Morris

• Professor Reginald Coupland

• Mr. J.M. Martin (Secretary)

The Commission was appointed with the following terms of reference:

“To ascertain the undertaking causes of the disturbances which broke out in Palestine in the middle of April; to inquire into the manner in which the Mandate for Palestine is being implemented in relation to the obligations of the Mandatory towards the Arabs and the Jews respectively; to ascertain whether, upon a proper construction of the terms of the Mandate, either the Arabs or the Jews have any legitimate grievances on account of the way in which the Mandate has been or is being implemented; and if the Commission is satisfied that any such grievances are well-founded, to make recommendations for their removal and for the prevention of their recurrence.”

The Commission submitted its report that included the partition of Palestine according to the following terms:

The Mandate for Palestine should terminate and be replaced by a Treaty System in accordance with the precedent set in Iraq and Syria.

A new Mandate for the Holy Places should be instituted and framed. An enclave should be demarcated extending from a point north of Jerusalem to a point south of Bethlehem, and access to the sea should be provided by a corridor extending to the north of the main road and to the south of the railroad, including the towns of Lydda and Ramle, and terminating at Jaffa. (See the map of partition).

Treaties of alliance should be negotiated by the Mandatory with the Government of Transjordan and representatives of the Arabs of Palestine on the one hand and with the Zionist Organization on the other. These Treaties would declare that, within as short a period as may be convenient, two sovereign independent states would be established-- the one an Arab State, consisting of Transjordan united with that part of Palestine which lies to the east and south of a frontier such as we suggest in the map; the other a Jewish State consisting of that part of Palestine which lies to the north and west of that frontier. The Arab State would be under the rule of Prince Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein.

The Mandatory would undertake to support any requests for admission to the League of Nations which the Governments of the Arab and the Jewish States might make.

The boundaries of the Jewish State include an area of about 5,000 square kilometers i.e. 15 per cent of the total area of Palestine. (See the map).

The Arab State includes the rest of Palestine land excluding the Holy Places sector.

There should be a transfer of land and, as far as possible, an exchange of population to avoid the continuation of conflict between the Arabs and Jews.

In the event of the Treaty System coming into force, Parliament should be asked to make a grant of two million Palestinian Pounds to the Arab state.

The advantages to the Arabs of Partition on the lines of the Peel Commission as proposed may be summarized as follows:
Arabs obtain their national independence and can cooperate on an equal footing with the Arabs of the neighboring countries in the cause of Arab unity and progress.

They are finally relieved from the fear of being “swapped” by the Jews, and from the possibility of ultimate subjection to Jewish rule.

In particular, the final limitation of the Jewish National Home within a fixed frontier and the enactment of a new Mandate for the protection of the Holy Places, solemnly guaranteed by the League of Nations, removes all anxiety lest the Holy Places should ever come under Jewish control

As a set-off to the loss of territory the Arabs regard as theirs, the Arab State will receive a subvention from the Jewish State. It will also obtain a grant of two million Palestinian Pounds from the British Treasury.

The advantages of partition to the Jews may be summarized as follows:
Partition secures the establishment of the Jewish National Home and relieves it from the possibility of its being subjected in the future to Arab rule.

Partition enables the Jews in the fullest sense to call their National Home their own; for it converts it into a Jewish State. Its citizens will be able to admit as many Jews into it as they themselves believe can be absorbed. They will cease at last to live a “minority life.”

When Peel Commission published its report in July 1937, the Palestinian leadership rejected the report. The only Arab leader who welcomed the recommendations of Peel Commission was Prince Abdullah ibn Al Hussein of Jordan. The rest of the Arab leaders rejected the proposal. The rejection of the Partition of Palestine in 1937 by the Palestinians was the first lost opportunity for the establishment of a Palestinian State. The 20^th Zionist Council met in Zurich in August 1937 and rejected the Peel Commission Plan of Partition.

March 24, 1999

Professor Dr. Ahmad Tell, of Jordanian origin, is Dean of Zarka Private National Community College in Zarka, Jordan. In 1980 he received an Award of Distinction from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. He is the author of several books and publications: Higher Education in Jordan , published in 1997. Also,  Abdullah Tell, the Hero and Why Did the Arabs Fail?, both of which are currently under print. Dr. Tell also wrote a research paper about the former Jordanian Prime Minister Samir Rifai and the Palestinian cause in 1997.

Dr. Tell was an officer in the Arab Legion from 1946-1950 and fought in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948.

References:

1) Priestland, Jane. Records of Jordan 1919-1965. Archive Editions, Vol., 4,5,6.