ABSTRACT
The Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet was by now increasingly concerned by the turn of events. His resources were being strained by four to six out of his Fleet’s 14 destroyers having to be allocated continuously to the Palestine Patrol. He was also worried by the use of this type of ship to make arrests after the illegal vessel was inside the 3-mile limit and close inshore. Consideration was given to building up the Motor Launch section of the Palestine Police but by this stage larger vessels were being encountered and these could simply brush the MLs aside. Furthermore, MLs possessed neither sufficient speed and endurance nor indeed the radar and communications necessary for the tasks which had to be undertaken. For his part the High Commissioner did not wish to attempt the difficult task of forming a Palestine Government naval squadron to replace the Royal Navy. He held that in the long run the situation could only be resolved by a major change in policy and hinted to the Naval authorities that this might be forthcoming before too long. The Colonial Secretary shared the High Commissioner’s hopes for a fairly early settlement and this misled the Admiralty into the belief that a solution was likely in the not far distant future and Navy would cease to be involved. So, recalling the earlier offer to provide additional MLs but not manpower, it suggested that additional Palestinian personnel should be trained in preparation for the day when the Palestine Police could resume responsibility.
