THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS WENT INTO ALL-NIGHT SESSION TONIGHT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN THE LAST ROUND OF DEBATE BEFORE A RESOLUTION ON BRITISH PROPOSALS TO PARTITION PALESTINE AND ESTABLISH A JEWISH STATE IS INTRODUCED TOMORROW.
EARLY TOMORROW MORNING, AFTER THE DEBATE, A SUBCOMMITTEE WAS TO BE APPOINTED TO DRAFT A RESOLUTION ON PARTITION WHICH WILL BE SUBMITTED TO AN OPEN SESSION OF THE CONGRESS TOMORROW.
DR. STEPHEN S. WISE OF NEW YORK, PRESIDENT OF THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, TONIGHT ASSAILED THE PARTITION PLAN AND ASSERTED THE JEWS WOULD BE GUILTY OF VIOLATING THEIR TRUST IF THEY ACCEPTED IT. THE JEWISH ANSWER TO THE PROPOSAL, HE SAID, MUST BE, “NON POSSUMUS.”
DR. WISE WARNED AGAINST OFFERING FALSE HOPES TO THE JEWS OF EASTERN EUROPE, BUT STATED THAT IF THE MAJORITY OF CONGRESS DELEGATES ACCEPTED THE PARTITION PRINCIPLE ITS OPPONENTS WOULD NOT LEAVE THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION.
DENYING THE IMPLICATION THAT THE CONFLICT OVER PARTITION WAS A FIGHT BETWEEN WESTERN AND EASTERN JEWS, DR. WISE ASSERTED THE JEWS OF THE WEST WERE AS NEAR IN EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING TO THE EASTERN JEWS AS ANY OTHERS.
AFTER MENTIONING HIS LONG FRIENDSHIP FOR AND SUPPORT OF DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, ZIONIST PRESIDENT, WHO IS ASKING ACCEPTANCE OF PARTITION IN PRINCIPLE, DR. WISE SAID HE COULD NOT AGREE WITH HIM ON PARTITION. HAD DR. WEIZMANN SPOKEN TEN YEARS EARLIER AS HE SPOKE LAST WEDNESDAY (CRITICIZING THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATION IN PALESTINE) “THE ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE INJUSTICE OF PARTITION UPON US MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN MADE,” THE AMERICAN ZIONIST SAID.
DR. WISE DENIED THAT OBJECTION TO PARTITION MEANT OBJECTION TO THE FOUNDING OF A JEWISH STATE, POINTING OUT ONE MIGHT BE A ZIONIST AND STILL OPPOSE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATE AT THIS TIME.
“EARNESTLY I MUST INSIST THAT IF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ENFORCED LAW AND ORDER IN PALESTINE THE YISHUB WOULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO SUCH A POINT OF WEARINESS AND DEFEATISM AS TO BE READY TO ACCEPT PARTITION — IF THEY ARE READY,” DR. WISE SAID.
DENYING THAT THE OPPONENTS OF PARTITION WERE UNCONCERNED WITH “THE MISERY-DRENCHED JEWISH DWELLERS OF EASTERN EUROPE,” DR. WISE SAID:
“I DO NOT WISH TO DO THAT WHICH HAS BEEN DONE TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE TIME AND TIME AGAIN — OFFER THEM FALSE HOPES WHICH CANNOT BE REDEEMED. I AM NOT THINKING OF THE HALF OR THREE-QUARTER MILLION JEWS WHO ARE SAID TO BE UNABLE TO FIND HOMES IN PALESTINE IN THE NEXT TEN OR FIFTEEN YEARS BECAUSE I AM THINKING OF THE MILLIONS — PERHAPS AS MANY AS HALF THE JEWS ON EARTH — WHOSE WILL IT IS TO BECOME A PART OF A JEWISH PALESTINE.
“I CANNOT, AS A TRUSTEE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, ACCEPT A DIVIDED, PARTITIONED AND MINIMIZED PALESTINE.”
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.
