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Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎409v] (822/940)

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The record is made up of 1 file (468 folios). It was created in 20 Mar 1949-13 Dec 1949. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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2-
(
in Palestine). Nor can the L eh an an absorb more
than a very small proportion O' the 120,000 refugees
in her territory, Betv/een 300 and 350 thousand
refugees will, therefore, probably have to be cared^
for by outside relief for at least two or three
years until land for their settlement becomes
available in Iraq and Syria. * •
3* Description of the Refugees
It has not yet been possible for the United Nations
Relief for Palestine Refugees to take a census of the refugees
end no accurate estimate of their numbers are available*
Reports from various sources place the total between seven and
eight hundred thousand distributed as fallows
Gaza area in Southern Palestine:
upwards of 200,000.
Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan -administered Arab Palestine)
300,000 )
Lebanon 120,000
Syria 115,000 (of which 85,000 are cared
for by the United Nations).
Iraq 20,000
Egypt (Kantara camp): 10,000
About 70/o are reported to be peasants, and the remainder
urban types. About 70P of the total are woman and childreh.
It is not yet possible to estimate the size of the "unresettleable
core 1 ' - i.e orphans and old and inarm people v/ith no wage-earner
to support them - but some reports suggest that it may
prove disproportionately large.
4« Attitude of the Arab Governments towards resettlement
Political Reactions .
The Arab Governments necessarily regard the question of
the resettlement of the refugees as part of the wider question
of the whole political settlement with Israel. They have, in
most cases, deliberately re rained from considering the
possibilities of resettlement. It remains to be seen whether
the Conciliation Commission, at the Conference which it has
called for March 2pth, can stimulate them into fading realities.
Meanwhile, tv/o Governments - those of Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan and Syria -
are understood to be in principle willing to absorb the refugees
at present in their countries, this would involve about half
the total number, including those in Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan -administerQ.^
Arab Palestine. If circumstances were to alter the present
official Arab policy, which is to insist on repatriation,
Iraq and Lebanon would probably agree in principle to accept
a proportion of the refugees, although in the Lebanon there
might be some opposition from the Christian minority and the
Shias in Iraq might object to a large influx of Sunnis.
Bgypt and Saudi' Arabia, on the other hand, will almost certainly
oppose entry of the refugees in any circumstances - in the case
of/

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Content

The file contains papers relating to the Middle East (Official) Committee. It consists of: papers circulated to members of the Committee, received by the External Department of the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO); a few items of CRO correspondence with the Foreign Office, the Cabinet Office, and Commonwealth governments; and a register of papers received or sent by the CRO relating to the Committee, with internal CRO correspondence (at the back of the file).

The file includes agendas for meetings of the Committee, and minutes of the meetings on 28 April, 5 May, 5 July and 19 July 1949. Matters discussed and recorded in the minutes include: the reconstitution of the Committee; the re-settlement of Arab refugees from Palestine; the report on Economic and Social Development in the Middle East by the Working Party of the Committee; the future work of the Committee; the Conference of HM Representatives in the Middle East to be held in London from 26 to 29 July 1949; United States President Truman’s ‘Fourth Point’ (Truman’s message of 24 June 1949 to the United States House of Representatives, communicating a ‘Recommendation for the Enactment of Legislation to Authorise an Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance for Underdeveloped Areas of the World’); and further studies of the Working Party.

The file also includes the following papers prepared by (or approved by) the Working Party of the Committee: draft, revised and interim versions of the report on Economic and Social Development in the Middle East; papers relating to the economic and social development of Iraq, Syria, Greater Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , Egypt, the Lebannon, Saudi Arabia, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, Eritrea and Somalia, and the Colony of Aden and the Aden Protectorate; and a paper on Middle East oil.

In addition, the file includes other papers relating to matters discussed at the meetings, and the following subjects: Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan ; irrigation development in Iraq; Persia’s [Iran’s] Seven Year Plan for development; informal conversations on social and economic affairs in the Middle East between representatives of the Foreign Office, the Treasury, the British Embassy in Washington, and the United States State Department; the work of the Development Division of British Middle East Office; a survey of the oil resources of the Middle East; and economic development in Cyprus in relation to the Middle East.

Extent and format
1 file (468 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate reverse chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Numbers in red pen on the top right hand corner of items in the file refer to entries in the register of papers received and sent by the Commonwealth Relations Office at the back of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 468; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎409v] (822/940), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/4756, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043455638.0x000017> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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