New York Times Demands Immediate Abrogation of White Paper; Avoids Commonwealth Issue

The immediate abrogation of the British White Paper is demanded in an editorial in the New York Times which emphasizes that there may be differences of opinion as to the future political status of Palestine, but there is general agreement in the United States on the necessity of removing the White Paper ban on Jewish immigration to Palestine.

Pointing out that the case for American intervention in the question of the White Paper is now stronger than it was five years ago when the document was issued by the british Government, the editorial says:

“The presence of our troops and supply depots in the Near East and our vital concern in peace and order in this strategic area give us a greater right to urge that the White Paper should now be abrogated. At the time it was published this newspaper opposed the rigid limitation on the flow of immigrants into Palestine as unjust and unacceptable, and everything that has happened since confirms and strengthens that opinion. The increasingly desperate state of those of Jewish faith in Europe has made it more than ever evident that in these tragic years the doors of any place of refuge, instead of being closed to a crack, should have been opened wider.

“On the future political status of Palestine there is room for wide and deep divergences of view,” the editorial continues. “This question remains, and promises to remain for a long time to come, one of the most complex and highly charged problems for post-war statesmanship. But it is significant that Jews and non-Jews, no matter how much they differ on this point, stand solidly in support of that part of the current Congressional resolution that advocates American initiative in seeking to obtain the resumption of immigration. The hearings before the House Foreign Affairs Committee reveal general agreement on the justice and necessity of removing the White Paper ban. This is a fair reflection of public opinion in this country. The final settlement of the Palestine problem fits into the framework of the general peace. It depends on the code of justice and security the victors are able to establish. Mean-time there can be no question that humanity and a sense of reality demand that the arbitrary ban should be lifted and immigration should be permitted on the most generous terms possible,” the editorial concludes.