Power division aim in Palestine By ISRAEL EPSTEIN S real war grows in Palestine, sharp light is cast on the true facts of the situation on the spot, and in United Nations halls as well. Within Palestine, the almost bloodless capture of the strategic - oil port of Haifa by the Haganah forces proves the Jewish army to be the strongest military power in the land. The Haganah, which represents the whole Jewish com- munity in its composition, also represents an aspiration to create a Jewish state within the borders awarded by the UN partition. Haganah’s prompt granting of re- lief and minority rights to Haifa Arabs distinguishes it from the small semi-fascist Jewish Irgun, which unilaterally and unsuccess~ fully attacked Jaffa. On the Arab side, loss of Haifa exposed the military incapacity and unrepresentative character of the patchwork battalions of the Arab Higher Committee of Palestine, led by a former Nazi collaborator, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and actually com- manded by men who fought under the Germans. Most of the Mufti's men came from outside Palestine. His officers included anti-Semitic Britons and quisling Poles and Yugoslavs. Ninety percent of Pal- estine’s Arab villages gave him no recruits or aid, even to avoid defeat. The politics of neighboring Arab countries were also illum- Coldwe By MARK FRANK —OTTAWA. \ JHEN M. J. Coldwell, CCF national leader, announced his party’s full endorsation for ERP, the Western Europe 5- power military alliance, the sub- stance of External Affairs Min- ister St. Laurent’s anti-commun- ist tirade and foreign policy statement, he did so with an un- easy conscience. This much is to be seen in his careful notations through his prepared comments during the foreign affairs debate. Authori- tative sources close to CCF cau- cuses indicate that Coldwell’s all- out support for St. Laurent, a bitter anti-socialist, went down hard with the bulk of the CCF inated. The Mufti’s smash-uP found Egypt, Iraq and Syria un- able to follow through on threats to invade the Holy Land in force. The Arab League, which includes War in Palestine the rulers of all these states, ap- pealed frantically to King Abdul- lah of Transjordan, developed country borders con- veniently on Jewish Palestine. In Following arrival of a 270-truck convoy of foodstuffs, a queue fills a Jerusalem street, waiting to get rations. (Below): A wind- mill used by snipers is destroyed by British troops. While as yet un- formed, and fearful of speak- ing out boldly, it is said here that some 20 CCF MP’s were “dissatisfied” with the current foreign policy line of the CCF top leadership. Key architects of the unpopular policy were said to be Coldwell, MacInnis and David Lewis, CCF national sec- retary. Chief argument of those who opposed “getting on the _ band- wagon” of anti-communist in- vective was that the holus-bolus acceptance of St. Laurent’s posi- “tion would place the CCF ‘party activists in a vulnerable position in their home constituencies. Coldwell’s effort to build the 5-power Brussels, pact more than “ag mere military group here. liance” was only equalled by his apologetic references to CCF criticism of Canadian support “of reactionary elements’ in Greece”. It was all the Soviet Union’s. fault,’ said Coldwell, that black reactionaries ruled Greece. The Soviets wouldn’t work with the Balkan Commis- sion of the UN—therefore it was pardonable to support Greek fascists. : ‘I criticized the western. de- mocracies a few minutes ago because of their support of re- actionary elements in Greece. But the Soviet Union refuses to cooperate. .. .” Earlier Coldwell rapped Can- adian policy. by saying the west- ern democracies “have taken no whose un- fact they went for help, through Abdullah, to Britain. e HAT warrants this state- ment? The answer was giv- en realistically by Walter Lipp- mann in the New York Herald Tribune, April 24. Lippman re- called that Transjordan was. ori- ginally a part of Palestine as placed under temporary British trusteeship by the old League of Nations. It was pocketed by Lon- don in 1923, becoming “in effect a crown colony and after that a nominally independent kingdom bound by a treaty which makes it a British protectorate,” Lippmann said. Abdullah, a native of Mecca, not Transjordan, was enthroned by Britain under this deal. His “independent” state was brought into the UN. Abdullah, Lippman continued, is now “entirely dependent upon Britain for money, since his army has been trained, equipped and officered by the British.” That is’ why Iraq and Syria, much richer in their own resources and popu- lation than desert Transjordan, approach him to do what they lack funds and strength to do themselves. Meanwhile Britain manipulates Abdullah, When he declaimed that he would march en the Jews at once, London said he would_do nothing of the sort till after May 15, when Britain’s formal responsibility for Pales- tine ends. Abdullah subsided. It was London’s money. Now Britain proposes that Ab- effective steps against the fas- cist dictatorship in Spain.” He added: “Canada has given help to Chiang Kai-Shek in the Chi- nese civil war... .” It is absurd that the leader of a national political party should offer a criticism of Can- adian policy that goes to the root of things, and in the next preath back a policy to strength- en Spanish, Greek and Chinese reaction. : It it this contradiction that is seizing honest-thinking members of the CCF, who frankly do not understand the twisted and con- tradictory CCF foreign policy. The gentle criticisms Coldwell makes of phases of Canadian policy are made to allay critic- ism within the CCF caucus —SOVFOTO PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 7, dullah negotiate with the Jewish Agency, the Jews’ chief authority pending tne formation of their ewn government. The terms are that Abdullah will “guarantee” local administration rights to Jews if they agree to make him king of all Palestine, both Jewish and Arab. Since Abdullah his no resources of his own, this means that all Palestine returns to Brit- ish control. The Jews have refus- ed, saying they were promised a country, not a new ghetto, Lippmann remarked correctly that the British-backed Transjor- dan Legion and the Jewish army are now the only two real powers on the scene. Britain can make Abdullah do what it wants, whether he also wants it or not. But who can force the Jews, who have proved their fighting cap- acity and don’t like the smell of this “settlement?” The answer: the U.S. is supposed to do the job. The U.S. is putting pressure on the Jews already. First it reneged on its own UN vote on partition. Now it has acceded to Britain's request to cut all mail commun- ication with Palestine, meaning that Jews there can no longer get money, supplies or even moral encouragement from American friends. ‘ What is in the wind now is not a division of Palestine among its own inhabitants, Arabs and Jews, but a new division of Power in Palestine between america and Britain, each with its own. “pro- tected” community but both cen-_ trolling the country as a colony and strategic bridgehead. II's foreign policy disturbs CCF which is deeper and more wide- spread than generally believed, but as yet fearful of destroying electoral possibilities by the ap- pearance of disunity on such a vital issue. At the close of his speech, Coldwell made special mention of the fact that his comments had been reviewed by his colleagues and that it represented not only his personal views but those of “the movement which we rep- resent.” Nevertheless, there are strong indications that sections of the CCF movement are disturbed by the foreign policy statement be- ing made by Coldwell and others of their leaders in the House of Commons and that resistance to these policies is growing. SNE May Day in Moscow (Left): Soviet infantrymen waiting to fall into line for the May Day parade through Mos- cow’s famous Red Square. (Center): Pushkin Square in Moscow is the scene of a holi- day on May Day. This picture shows ornamental booths illus- trating Pushkin’s poems, from which toys, souvenirs, soft drinks, ice cream, cakes and other foods are sold. The square also has an open air concert stage where Moscow citizens and visitors can watch—free—the Soviet Union’s ranking singers, dancers, theater and circus art- ists in continuous entertainment. (Right): A group of sports- women on their way to join the May Day parade. SMR RET 1948—PAGE 6