The four-month 1,500 monthly immigration quota announced last week by High Commissioner Sir Alan Cunningham will be extended to six months, with the starting date as of last Nov. 1, it was learned today. However, if any of the 9,000 new visas remain unused at the end of April, they will be withdrawn.
The Jewish Agency, it is understood, is attempting to have the starting date advanced to Jan. 1 and is also asking that all the visas be assigned to Jews. According to present plans, a few of the immigration certificates would go to non-Jews.
The visas will not be distributed through the Jewish Agency as were the bulk of those available under the White Paper, but will be assigned through British diplomatic representatives abroad.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Arab Higher Committee has appealed to the UNO against the decision to admit more Jews to Palestine. In a cable to Paul Henri Speak, president of UNO’s General Assembly, the committee described this decision as “an attack against the rights of small nations and their interests.
“We appeal to the United Nations Organization to stop this infringement of our existence within out homeland and to safeguard our freedom and ensure the attainment of our independence,” the cable continued. The committee also asked Arab delegates to the UNO to place the case of the Palestine Arabs before the United Nations stating that the British actions were considered a departure from official pledges.
A police communique issued this morning said that there were no incidents during yesterday’s Arab strike to protest the new immigration quota, and the entire country was quiet.
An unconfirmed report received here today said that a British naval patrol operating out of Palestine has detained on the high seas a vessel bearing Jewish refugees, and is not permitting it to proceed here, or to return to its port of departure.
The curfew imposed upon the Jewish district of Jerusalem 15 days ago will be lifted as of 6 a.m. tomorrow, it was officially announced tonight.
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.
