Zionist leaders, meeting at the opening session of the World Zionist Organization Actions Committee, were warned today that Jewish immigration into Palestine may be halted momentarily.
David Ben-Gurion, chairman of the Palestine Executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared immigration suspension would seriously hinder Zionist work since it was unpredictable how long it would remain in effect.
The six-day meeting of the committee, the supreme Zionist body between sessions of the Zionist congress, was opened by Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Organization with Menachem Mendel Ussishkin, world president of the Jewish National Fund, presiding.
In a keynotes address which moved many auditors to tears, Dr. Weizmann drew a pessimistic picture of the Zionist situation, declaring that Jewish homeland upbuilding was affected by the decline of liberalism in Europe.
He made no specific recommendations on immediate Zionist policy, but was expected to submit proposals at closed sessions later of the political committee.
Mr. Ben-Gurion, in a two-hour address, reviewed the Palestine political situation since last year, when the question of instituting a representative legislative assembly in the Holy Land was raised.
He warned of the danger of “Arab hordes” within and outside Palestine, emphasizing that the Arabs were a force which the Jews must take into consideration.
Seeking to create a united front of Jews the world over, the Actions Committee will map plans for strengthening the Jewish position in Palestine and formulate an attitude toward Great Britain, the Mandatory Power, and the Arabs.
Among the major questions on the agenda is a proposed proclamation of a world-wide appeal for funds to carry on emergency work in the Holy Land and the question of cooperation with the Royal Commission appointed by the British Government to inquire into eighteen-week-old disorders.
Although Zionist leaders were still divided in their sentiment on the commission, it was believed the committee would formulate a working agreement enabling Jews to appear and testify before the commission.
Among the other speakers will be Dr. Selig Brodetsky, member of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization. The sessions will be held in camera.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
