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News Brief

August 20, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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IF THE AMERICANS ALSO SHARED THE ARAB VIEWPOINT. DR. WEIZMANN SAID, “OUR ROADS MUST PART.”

DECLARING BI-NATIONALISM WAS AN EMPTY FORMULA AND COULD NOT PROVIDE A BASIS FOR NEGOTIATIONS, HE CONTINUED:

“IT IS EASY FOR THE AMERICANS TO NEGOTIATE BECAUSE FOR THEM PALESTINE IS ANOTHER COLONIZATION CENTER, LIKE BIRO-BIDJAN, BUT FOR US PALESTINE IS A NATIONAL HOME.”

THE SUGGESTED JEWISH STATE AND THE NATIONAL HOME WERE TO HIM SYNONYMOUS, DR. WEIZMANN ASSERTED.

THE ZIONIST LEADER DECLARED HIS WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE PROVIDED FOR IN DR. MAGNES’ RESOLUTION. HE REVEALED THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE WAS TO REPORT TODAY TO THE NEWLY-ESTABLISHED POLITICAL COMMITTEE ON ITS EFFORTS TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE ARABS AND SAID HE WAS WILLING TO SURRENDER HIS MANDATE IF THE COMMITTEE FOUND THE EXECUTIVE HAD NOT DONE ALL POSSIBLE.

IF THE NON-ZIONISTS, HE CONCLUDED, WISHED TO ACCEPT A POLICY OF A JEWISH MINORITY IN PALESTINE, “OUR PATHS MUST DIVERT.”

ALEXANDER KAHN BACKS ZIONISTS

OTHER SPEAKERS AT LAST NIGHT’S SESSION INCLUDED ALEXANDER KAHN, ONLY AMERICAN NON-ZIONIST WHO SPOKE IN FAVOR OF THE ZIONIST DECISION; MOSHE SMILANSKY, PALESTINE FARM LEADER, AND JACOB LESTSCHINSKY OF POLAND, ECONOMIST AND STATISTICIAN.

MR. KAHN URGED ACCEPTANCE OF THE ZIONIST RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN ON THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE, CONTENDING THE RESOLUTION PROVIDED FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE ARABS.

MR. SMILANSKY ARGUED THAT PEACE WITH THE ARABS COULD NOT BE REACHED AT THE PRESENT TIME AND THAT A BI-NATIONAL STATE COULD NOT BE CREATED FROM A ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE. HE SAID THE JEWISH STATE WOULD BE ABLE TO ABSORB 3,000,000 JEWS.

MR. LESTSCHINSKY STRONGLY FAVORED PARTITION, BUT SAID HE WOULD PREFER, IF IT WAS INEVITABLE, THAT THE JEWISH PART REMAIN UNDER BRITISH MANDATE.

$1,825,000 BUDGED APPROVED

THE COUNCIL TODAY APPROVED THE BUDGET OF 365,000 POUNDS (ABOUT $1,825,000) VOTED BY THE EXECUTIVE FOR THE COMING YEAR. AT THE SAME TIME THE COUNCIL AGREED THAT THE BUDGET COULD BE INCREASED TO 600,000 POUNDS (ABOUT $3,000,000) TO COVER EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENTS

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