British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 937

CHAPTER XXII.
(a) the first mayor should be Jewish (but the proposed term of

office of the mayor was too short);

(b) the third mayor should be British;

(c) the arrangement should be regarded as ad hoc to Jerusalem. 139. Following this rejection by both sides of the High Com-

missioner's proposals, polemics in the press continued. In the meantime, after the meeting on the 21st March, the Arab councillors absented themselves from the Council meetings and hence became disqualified under section 47 of the Municipal Corporations Ordinance, 1934, which provides that "if any member of a Council including the mayor or deputy mayor shall fail to attend at the ordinary meetings of the Council for three consecutive months, such person shall thereupon become disqualified to sit as a councillor and his place upon the Council shall be deemed to be vacant": The result of the disqualification of the Arab councillors was that a legal quorum of the Municipal Council, which in accordance with regulation 10 of the Ninth Schedule to the Municipal Corporations Ordinance was half the members plus one of the full Council (i.e., seven councillors), was no longer obtainable without the appointment of additional members.

140. In view, therefore, of the failure of either side to accept the High Commissioner's proposals in the form in which they were made, and the disqualification of the Arab members of the Council (which legally became effective in July), it was necessary to provide for the continuance of the administration of the Municipality until such time as the conflicting olaims of Arabs and Jews could be reconciled. Accordingly the District Commissioner was authorised to announce on the 11th July, 1945, the appointment of a Commission under section 61 of the Municipal Corporations Ordinance of six British Government officials under the chairmanship of Mr. G. H. "Webster, formerly Postmaster-General. It was also announced that the Chief Justice, Sir William FitzGeralcl, had been appointed by the High Commissioner to enquire into the local administration of Jerusalem and to make recommendations. The following official communique of July 11th, 1945, was issued :-

"It will be recalled that on the 21st March, 1945 it was proposed to the Municipal Corporation of Jerusalem, with particular regard to the peculiar characteristics and special position held by Jerusalem in the world, that the mayorship should be held in rotation by representative councillors of the Christian, Moslem and Jewish faiths. This proposal was not accepted by any party in the form in which it was made. During the period which has elapsed since the 21st March the endeavours made to arrive at a generally acceptable solution to this and related

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