SENTIMENT FOR ACCEPTANCE IN PRINCIPLE OF PROPOSALS TO PARTITION PALESTINE MOUNTED TODAY AS THE TWENTIETH BIENNIAL WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS CONTINUED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THE DEBATE ON THE MOST MOMENTOUS ISSUE IN ITS 40-YEAR HISTORY.
DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ZIONIST ORGANIZATION MADE AN URGENT APPEAL FOR ACCEPTANCE OF THE BRITISH PLAN TO ESTABLISH A JEWISH STATE, SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION, AND THEN LEFT FOR GENEVA TO INFORM THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS MANDATES COMMISSION MOST OF THE DELEGATES WERE READY TO ACCEPT PARTITION.
SEVENTY-FIVE PER CENT OF THE 483 DELEGATES WERE ESTIMATED TO FAVOR SOME FORM OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN ON THE PARTITION PROPOSAL AS THE CONGRESS ADJOURNED LATE THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE SABBATH TO CONTINUE TOMORROW NIGHT THE DEBATE WHICH HAS CUT ACROSS PARTY LINES.
DR. WEIZMANN, IT WAS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED, EMPHASIZED THAT 2,000,000 JEWS COULD ENTER THE JEWISH STATE WITHIN 20 YEARS AT THE RATE OF 100,000 ANNUALLY. HE SET THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS FOR JEWISH ACCEPTANCE OF PARTITION:
1. INCLUSION OF THE JEWISH-POPULATED DISTRICTS OF JERUSALEM IN THE JEWISH STATE. (THE ROYAL COMMISSION PROPOSED THAT JERUSALEM BE UNDER BRITISH MANDATE.)
2. COMPLETE SOVEREIGNTY.
3. THE RIGHT TO DEVELOP THE HARBOR AT TEL AVIV.
4. UNHAMPERED IMMIGRATION.
5. FAR-REACHING AUTONOMY ON IMMIGRATION DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD BEFORE ACHIEVEMENT OF STATEHOOD.
THE ZIONIST PRESIDENT CONCLUDED BY DECLARING PARTITION “OFFERS A LARGER CHANCE FOR PEACE WITH THE ARABS THAN EVER BEFORE.”
WISE HITS SECRECY AS AID TO ANTI-SEMITES
WHILE THE CONGRESS DEBATED THE PLAN UNDER A RULE LIMITING GENERAL DISCUSSION TO FIFTEEN HOURS — WITH MEMBERS OF THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE ALLOWED UNRESTRICTED RIGHT TO SPEAK — DR. STEPHEN S. WISE, OF NEW YORK, BRANDED THE SECRET SESSION A “SWINDLE.”
DR. WISE, PRESIDENT OF THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA AND A LEADING OPPONENT OF PARTITION ON ANY TERMS, SAID HE PREFERRED TO EXPLAIN TO THE PRESS HIS GROUNDS FOR OPPOSITION RATHER THAN ADDRESS THE CLOSED MEETING.
“THIS SWINDLE OF HOLDING A SESSION IN CAMERA IS DOING A LOT OF HARM TO THE JEWS, GIVING THE IMPRESSION TO ANTI-SEMITES THAT THE LEGEND OF THE ELDERS OF ZION IS TRUE, ” THE NEW YORK ZIONIST DECLARED. “ANYTHING SAID SO FAR IN CLOSED SESSION COULD HAVE BEEN SAID OPENLY FROM THE TRIBUNE.”
WITH THE UNITED STATES DELEGATION OF 91 SPLIT ON PARTITION, DR. WISE REJECTED AN APPEAL OF FELLOW AMERICAN DELEGATES TO ACCEPT A COMPROMISE RESOLUTION OFFERED BY THE LABORITES — TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE TO OBTAIN “CLARIFICATION” OF PARTITION PROPOSALS FROM BRITAIN AND REPORT to a newly-ELECTED CONGRESS.
A RESOLUTION OF THE Z.O.A. BINDING ITS 22 DELEGATES TO OPPOSE PARTITION WENT INTO DISCARD AS 18 OF THE DELEGATES DECLARED THEY WOULD NOT BE BOUND BY IT. THE FOUR ADHERING TO THE DECISION INCLUDED DR. WISE AND RABBI ABBA HILLEL SILVER, OF CLEVELAND.
A CONFERENCE OF THE 18 HADASSAH (AMERICAN WOMEN ZIONIST) DELEGATES EMPOWERED MRS. DE SOLA POOL, OF NEW YORK TO INFORM THE CONGRESS THEY REJECT PARTITION AND DEMAND THAT THE EXECUTIVE WORK FOR ENFORCEMENT OF THE PALESTINE MANDATE.
BUT LOUIS LIPSKY, OF NEW YORK, HEADING THE AMERICAN GROUP FAVORING NEGOTIATIONS ON PARTITION, PREDICTED ONLY TEN PER CENT OF THE AMERICAN DELEGATES WOULD VOTE AGAINST DR. WEIZMANN’S PROPOSALS.
SILVER SEES ARAB-JEWISH TROUBLES AGGRAVATED
DR. SILVER DECLARED PARTITION WOULD SERIOUSLY AGGRAVATE ARAB-JEWISH DIFFICULTIES IN PALESTINE AND ARABIA, WHILE RABBIS BARNETT R. BRICKNER OF CLEVELAND, AND SOLOMON GOLDMAN, OF CHICAGO, VOICED SUPPORT OF PARTITION PROVIDED THE PLAN IS IMPROVED OVER THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S PROPOSALS AS A TEMPORARY INSTRUMENT FOR EVENTUAL EXPANSION OF THE JEWISH STATE TO THE HISTORICAL BOUNDARIES OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL.
DR. KURT BLUMENFELD, OF PALESTINE, URGED CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE PARTITION PROPOSALS, DECLARING “IT IS POSSIBLE WE WILL NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE,” WHILE ZALMAN RUBASHOW, PALESTINE LABOR LEADER, FORMERLY OF NEW YORK, OPPOSED THE SCHEME FOR DIVIDING THE HOLY LAND.
I. SCHWARTZBARD, OF PARIS, HELD THE TERRITORY OFFERED THE JEWS DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO A SOLUTION OF THE JEWISH PROBLEM. HE URGED DR. WEIZMANN TO SHOW GREATER RESISTANCE AND DEMAND THE MAXIMUM FOR THE JEWS.
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