Papers of the Mesopotamian Administration (later Middle East) Committee [‎38v] (78/80)

?re»ch and
[talian
aspirat
ions in
Palestine.
- 4 -
Ll.^CDOLOGH oxpressod the view that before this
proposal was definitely approved by the Committee the views
of tho two Military Members namely, General Allonby and Sir
Reginald ’Vingate, should bo obtained.
LORD R0B3RT C2GIL agreed that it was a sound principle
that the General Officers Commanding should be in responsible
control.
LORD HARDIUGS suggested that General Clayton should be
given the style and title of "Civil Commissioner in Palestine
and tte Kejaz", this being the stylo and title given to
Sir Percy Cox in Mesopotamia.
SIR MARK SYKES pointed out that this might givo offence
to the French. The French Government were addressing
M.Picot at Jerusalem as Haut Commissaire do la Palestine
and even as Haut Commissaire de 1 T Orient.
LORD CUR3QH expressed tho view that under the circum
stances it would probably bo better that General Clayton
should be stylod "Chief Political Officer" rather than
"Civil Commissioner”.
Th> Committee decided:-
(a) that subject to any contrary representations
that might be put forward by General Allenby
or General Sir Reginald Wingate, Brigadier-
General C.P.Clayton, C.M.G. should be appoin
ted Chief Political Officer in Palestine under
General Allenby and Chief Political Officer in
the Hejaz under General Sir Reginald Wingate.
fb) that the D.M.I. should ascertain by telegram
the views of the two General Officers Command
ing who were concerned.
3. LORD CUR20N stated that he gathered from various sources
that a good deal of trouble existed in Palestine between
the British, French and Italian Representatives.
SIR MARK SYKES stated that thore was no doubt that ser
ious trouble existed; in his opinion, this was very largely
due to tho fact that General Sir Reginald Wingate had paid
one if not more visits to Palestine and that if he had not
actually entered Jerusalem he had been to Hebi Samwail, a place
several miles North West of Jerusalem, and also to the fact
that Egyptian Civil Servants such as Borton Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. whose attitude
towards the French was not altogether friendly had been appoint
ed to important posts in Palestine whereas no Frenchmen or Ital
ians had been given corresponding posts. As was well known, ;
thero existed among the British Officers in Egypt, a spirit
distinctly hostile to the French, which was reciprocated with
interest by Frenchmen like H.de France, the French Consul-
General in Cairo. He understood that Mr. Ronald Storrs had
replaced Borton Pesha as Governor of Jerusalem, and here again-''
he feared that unless their attitude towards Mr. Storrs had v
changed recently, the French would feel aggrieved as Mr. Storre
had been anything but persona grata with them. Further, he
learnt from French sources that a number of Anti-French Syrians
had been given posts in Palestine; on the other hand he agreed
that the» attitude of tho Fronch Press was most chauvinistic,
in regard to the French claim to the whole of Palestine, which
they regarded as the Holy Land.
CAPTAIN ORMSBY GORE added that he had recently seen Dr.
T/eizmann, President of the English Zionists Federation, who
was alarmed at the Anti-Semitic attitude now being adooted
in France.