Jewish Agency Files Protest with Palestine Govt. Against Deportation of Refugees

Goldie Meirson, political chief of the Jewish Agency’s Jerusalem section, today called on Palestine Chief Secretary Sir Henry L. ##ney to hand over the Agency’s protest against the deportation of the 4,500 Exodus refugees to France.

Meanwhile, an Agency spokesman termed the return of the refugees to their ## of embarkation an “utterly irresponsible act.” Commenting on a British Foreign Office statement that the final destination of the Jews was up to France, not England, he said the British action was an “extraordinary way of shifting responsibility for the fate of homeless men, women and children.”

He also pointed out that the Foreign Office “tries to avoid responsibility” of “pretending that the Jewish struggle against the White Paper” is not an Anglo-Jewish conflict but an Arab-Jewish struggle with Britain acting as conciliator. ## cannot, however, recall any achievement by the government in this direction,” ## stated, “on the contrary it is clear that England’s conduct is dictated by a sole ##iterion–Arab hostility–which is fed by England’s own vacillation and defection ## duty. It must be emphasized repeatedly that Britain is in Palestine as a trustee and her duty is to facilitate, not obstruct, Jewish immigration,” he concluded.Commeting on yesterday’s battles in Jerusalem’s streets, the spokesman protested the troops’ “indiscriminate shooting” which endangered “frightened people confronted with the dangerous alternatives” of braving bullets or violating curfew regulations by seeking shelter where they found themselves rather than hurrying home.

The Haganah last night stated that the “government’s inhuman measures ## return of visaless immigrants to their port of embarkation “does not frighten ##. We will continue to bring in refugees by all ways and means, defying the British ##ockade barring the way home to homeless people.”The executive committee of the Histadruth announced that it had cabled an appeal to the French Socialist Party and the General Federation of Labor in France to use their influence with the Government not to join with Great Britain in implementing the deportation of the refugees from the Exodus.