THE COUNCIL OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE CLOSED ITS FIFTH BIENNIAL SESSION AT 12:35 O’CLOCK THIS MORNING AFTER COMPROMISES HAD BROUGHT ABOUT HARMONY ON THE TWO MAIN ISSUES–BRITISH PROPOSALS TO PARTITION PALESTINE AND NON-ZIONIST DEMANDS FOR PARITY IN THE AGENCY EXECUTIVE.
A RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED PROVIDING BOTH FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE, AS DEMANDED BY THE ZIONISTS, AND FOR PARLEYS WITH THE ARABS TO SEEK A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IN AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE, AS URGED BY THE AMERICAN NON-ZIONISTS.
THE QUESTION OF COMPOSITION OF THE AGENCY EXECUTIVE WAS SETTLED BY INCREASING THE NON-ZIONIST REPRESENTATION FROM THREE TO FIVE, THE NUMBER OF ZIONISTS REMAINING AT SEVEN. IN ADDITION, SIX NON-ZIONISTS WERE ELECTED TO THE POLITICAL COMMITTEE SET UP BY THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION IN LONDON, MATCHING THE SIX MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE CHOSEN BY THE ZIONIST GENERAL COUNCIL.
IN INTRODUCING THE POLITICAL RESOLUTION, DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, PRESIDENT OF THE AGENCY, PAID TRIBUTE TO THE BROAD-MINDEDNESS AND COOPERATIVENESS OF THE NON-ZIONISTS, NAMING PARTICULARLY FELIX M. WARBURG, SOL STROOCK AND MAX STEUER OF NEW YORK. HE POINTED OUT THAT THE PART OF THE RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR APPROACHING THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WITH A REQUEST THAT IT CONVENE AN ARAB-JEWISH CONFERENCE FOR PEACE “IN AND FOR AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE” WAS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE AMERICAN NON-ZIONISTS.
WHILE CRITICIZING THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE PALESTINE ADMINISTRATION, DR. WEIZMANN SAID THAT GREAT BRITAIN, MORE THAN ANY OTHER POWER, UNDERSTOOD JEWISH NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS. “COME WHAT MAY THE JEWISH-PEOPLE WILL REMAIN BOUND TO BRITAIN BY UNBREAKABLE TIES OF GRATITUDE AND GOODWILL,” HE SAID.
POINTS IN AGENCY RESOLUTION
THE COUNCIL’S RESOLUTION CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING POINTS;
1. IT EXPRESSES AGREEMENT WITH THE MAIN CONCLUSIONS OF THE POLITICAL RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS.
2. IT REJECTS THE ASSERTION OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION THAT THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS MANDATE HAS PROVED UNWORKABLE, CONDEMNS THE “PALLIATIVE PROPOSALS” PUT FORWARD BY THE ROYAL COMMISSION, INCLUDING SEVERE LIMITATIONS ON JEWISH LAND SETTLEMENT AND THE SETTING OF A POLITICAL HIGH LEVEL ON JEWISH IMMIGRATION.
3. IT REAFFIRMS THE JEWS’ READINESS TO REACH A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT WITH THE PALESTINE ARABS BASED ON THE FREE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH PEOPLES AND MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE RIGHTS. IT DIRECTS THE EXECUTIVE TO PERSEVERE IN ITS EFFORTS TO THIS END, AND WITH THIS OBJECT IN VIEW TO REQUEST THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO CONVENE A CONFERENCE OF JEWS AND ARABS TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES OF MAKING A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO PEOPLES IN AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE ON THE BASIS OF THE BALFOUR DECLARATION AND THE MANDATE.
4. TERMING THE ROYAL COMMISSION PARTITION PROPOSALS UNACCEPTABLE, IT EMPOWERS THE EXECUTIVE TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH A VIEW TO ASCERTAINING THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S PRECISE TERMS FOR THE PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE. IN THE EVENT OF THE EMERGENCE OF A DEFINITE SCHEME, THE EXECUTIVE IS INSTRUCTED TO BRING IT BEFORE A SPECIAL SESSION OF THE JEWISH AGENCY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION AND DECISION.
IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT THE PROVISION FOR ARAB-JEWISH PARLEYS PRECEDES THE PROVISION FOR NEGOTIATIONS ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE, LEADING TO THE INFERENCE THAT THE FORMER IS TO BE SOUGHT FIRST; ALSO, THAT THIS RESOLUTION PROVIDES FOR MAKING THE AGENCY’S COUNCIL THE BODY FOR “CONSIDERATION AND DECISION” ON WHATEVER SCHEME ARISES, RATHER THAN A SPECIALLY-CONVOKED WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS AS PROVIDED IN THE ZIONIST RESOLUTION.
BEN-GURION THREATENS TO QUIT EXECUTIVE
THE COUNCIL ADJOURNED AFTER A SHORT SPEECH BY DR. WEIZMANN EXPRESSING SATISFACTION WITH THE OUTCOME AND THE UNITY ACHIEVED.
THE ONLY OVERT NOTE OF DISHARMONY WAS A THREAT WHICH WAS UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY DAVID BEN-GURION, PALESTINE LABOR LEADER, THAT HE WOULD RESIGN FROM THE EXECUTIVE BECAUSE HE OPPOSED IN PRINCIPLE INCREASING THE NON-ZIONISTS’ REPRESENTATION.
THE TWO NEW NON-ZIONIST MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE ARE MRS. EDWARD JACOBS OF NEW YORK, PRESIDENT OF HADASSAH AND BELIEVED TO BE THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE ELECTED TO THE POSITION, AND DR. ARTHUR RUPPIN OF JERUSALEM. THE OTHER NON-ZIONIST MEMBERS, ALL ELECTED UNANIMOUSLY, ARE DR. MAURICE J. KARPF OF NEW YORK, AND DR. MAURICE HEXTER AND DR. WERNER SENATOR OF JERUSALEM. MENACHEM M. USSISHKIN OF JERUSALEM RECEIVED A SEAT IN THE EXECUTIVE.
DR. NAHUM GOLDMANN WAS ELECTED GENEVA REPRESENTATIVE OF THE AGENCY, WITH A SEAT IN THE EXECUTIVE AND A VOTE IN POLITICAL MATTERS. LOUIS LIPSKY AND DR. KARPF WERE NAMED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AGENCY IN THE UNITED STATES AND MR. LIPSKY WAS GIVEN A SEAT IN THE EXECUTIVE. LORD MELCHETT OF GREAT BRITAIN WAS REELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE AGENCY COUNCIL, WITH MAGISTRATE MORRIS ROTHENBERG OF NEW YORK AS JOINT CHAIRMAN.
NON-ZIONISTS NAMED TO THE POLITICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN LONDON ARE LIONEL COHEN, SIR OSMOND D’AVIGDOR GOLDSMID, LORD READING AND NEVILLE LASKI, OF BRITAIN, PROFESSOR HERBERT SPEYER OF BELGIUM, AND FELIX. M. WARBURG OF NEW YORK CITY.
AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE OF FOURTEEN WAS ELECTED, EMPOWERED TO APPOINT THREE JUNIOR MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE WITH THE RIGHT TO OCCUPY SEATS AND TO A VOTE IN MATTERS COMING UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION, SIMILAR TO JUNIOR MEMBERS OF THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE.
LEONARD STEIN OF LONDON WAS ELECTED HONORARY COUNSEL OF THE AGENCY.
STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE PARITY DEMAND WAS EXPRESSED AT A CONFERENCE OF THE LABORITE ZIONIST FACTION FRIDAY NIGHT. MR. BEN-GURION AND OTHER LABORITE LEADERS SAID THEY WOULD NOT YIELD ON THIS DEMAND.
DR. JUDAH L. MAGNES, NON-ZIONIST PRESIDENT OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM, HAD BEEN MENTIONED AS A PROSPECTIVE MEMBER OF THE AGENCY EXECUTIVE, BUT SAID BEFORE LEAVING FOR PARIS FRIDAY THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD HE ACCEPT A NOMINATION FOR THE POSITION.
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