“new Palestine” Attacks Dr. Magnes; Calls Him “a Pacifist in Panic”

A severely critical indictment of Dr. Judah L. Magnes, Chancellor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, for his untimely and misguided negotiations with the Arabs for a Palestine parliament, is contained in an editorial in the November 22 issue of the “New Palestine.” The editorial, entitled “A Pacifist in a Panic,” says:

“It is very seldom that action proposed by a man in a panic achieves its purpose; the rule is, in fact, that panicky action obtains results which are the opposite of those desired. Dr. Judah Leib Magnes, Chancellor of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has long been known as a pacifist of an extreme type. He has demonstrated his sincerity on more than one occasion; but he has never demonstrated more clearly than now the futility of pacifism as a policy of panic. At the annual opening exercises of the Hebrew University, Dr. Magnes declared: Palestine can never be a Jewish National Home. It will always be an international home for Jews, Christians and Arabs alike.

“This statement is the public climax of recent activities that Dr. Magnes has undertaken-without public authority or request-as the obvious result of the riots in Palestine. These activities included, among other things, negotiations with St. John Philby, notorious anti-Zionist and general meddler in the Near East, who has drawn up an extraordinary “constitution” for Palestine, a constitution which speaks gently to the Jews and places unlimited power in the hands of the Arabs.

“It is almost incredible that at a time like this an intelligent Jew should go off on a private political spree of his own. Now, if ever, it is our duty to concentrate all moral and political authority in the properly elected bodies-the Vaad Leumi in Palestine, in the Zionist Executive outside of Palestine. And precisely at this moment Dr. Magnes rushes off to the agent of Ibn Saud to tell him how much he-Dr. Magnes-is willing to give up on behalf of the Jewish people, which he has not consulted on this point, in order to ensure the good-will of the Arabs and peace between the Arab and the Jew.

“Now apart from its sheer irresponsibility-and even arrogance-this action has no intelligible relation to pacifism. We honor the pacifist principles of Dr. Magnes, but we cannot see how the cause of peace (or of decency) is served by a hysterical yielding to the importunations of rioters and murderers. Does Dr. Magnes imagine that he imbues the Arab leaders (more accurately the mob-leaders) with a sense of peace and responsibility when, as the fruit of their blood-thirsty lawlessness, he makes offers and concessions? Does he suppose that the instigators of the riots will accept his proposals as anything other than the helpless plea of cowardice and terror?

“The first principle of order, of civilized human behavior, is to grant nothing under a threat of violence: for such a grant merely increases the appetite of the bully. Sir John Chancellor who had (according to his proclamation) instituted conversations with the Home Government for an Arab Parliament, cancelled the conversations as a result of the brutal and inhuman behavior of the Arab leaders. They had proved themselves unfit to govern a country : a few of them had proved themselves unfit to live outside of a prison. But Dr. Magnes, who had not even been agitating for an Arab Parliament hitherto, pleads for it now in order to pacify the Arab leaders!

“Never was panicky action so apt to encourage further bloodshed. Never was the policy of a pacifist, misapplied, more likely to lead to a reign of murder. The Jews of Palestine, the Jews of the world, long for peace with the Arabs, for cooperation and friendliness : but it is fantastic to hope that we can achieve a stable, decent relationship by these breathless and untimely concessions. They are undignified, ill-considered, illtimed and-above all-dangerous to the peace of the country.”