JEWISH AGENCY COUNCIL GROUPS CONFERRED TODAY TO AVERT A SPLIT OVER BRITISH PROPOSALS TO PARTITION PALESTINE AND ESTABLISH A JEWISH STATE. A COMPROMISE RESOLUTION WAS EXPECTED TO BE INTRODUCED AT A PLENARY SESSION SATURDAY NIGHT.
DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, PRESIDENT OF THE AGENCY AND THE WORLD ZIONIST ORGANIZATION, MET PRIVATELY WITH FELIX M. WARBURG, WHO EARLY THIS MORNING LED AMERICAN NON-ZIONISTS IN WALKING OUT OF THE COUNCIL’S POLITICAL COMMITTEE.
THE AMERICANS, MINIMIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR DEPARTURE, EXPLAINED LATER IT WAS MEANT MERELY AS A PROTEST GESTURE AGAINST THE CHAIRMAN’S REJECTION OF THEIR PLEAS FOR POSTPONEMENT OF A VOTE ON THE ZIONIST RESOLUTION FAVORING NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE.
THE RESOLUTION BACKING THE ZIONIST STAND, ADOPTED BY THE COMMITTEE AFTER THE AMERICAN NON-ZIONISTS HAD LEFT, WAS EXPECTED TO BE SCRAPPED IN FAVOR OF A COMPROMISE RESOLUTION INCORPORATING ALSO NON-ZIONIST VIEWS.
THIS RESOLUTION MAY FOLLOW THE GENERAL LINES OF AN AMENDMENT OFFERED BY PROF. NORMAN BENTWICH, BRITISH NON-ZIONIST, PROVIDING FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE ARASS FOR COOPERATION IN AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE, AS WELL AS APPROVING PARLEYS WITH BRITAIN REGARDING ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE.
WITH SESSIONS OF THE COUNCIL ADJOURNED AND AN ATMOSPHERE OF CONCILIATION PERVADING INTER-FACTIONAL DELIBERATIONS, AMERICAN AND BRITISH NON-ZIONISTS MET TO DISCUSS THE TEXT OF A RESOLUTION ON WHICH ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS COULD AGREE, TO BE SUBMITTED SATURDAY NIGHT.
WEIZMANN TO BACK PARITY DEMAND
ANOTHER PHASE IN THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE TWO SECTIONS OF THE AGENCY APPEARED TO BE NEARING SETTLEMENT WHEN DR. WEIZMANN WAS UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE PROMISED MR. WARBURG TO USE HIS INFLUENCE WITH OTHER ZIONIST LEADERS TO OBTAIN FOR THE NON-ZIONISTS EQUAL REPRESENTATION IN THE JEWISH AGENCY EXECUTIVE.
AS NEGOTIATIONS PROCEEDED ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW EXECUTIVE, THE AMERICAN NON-ZIONISTS MET AND WERE EXPECTED TO INSIST ON PARITY OF REPRESENTATION. THE EXECUTIVE AT PRESENT COMPRISES TEN ZIONISTS AND THREE NON-ZIONISTS.
THE CONFLICT OVER PALESTINE PARTITIONING WAS CRYSTALLIZED IN THE TWO RESOLUTIONS CONSIDERED BY THE POLITICAL COMMITTEE LAST NIGHT–THAT BACKING THE ZIONIST CONGRESS AND, AN ALTERNATIVE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ARAB-JEWISH STATE IN AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE.
THE OPINION WAS VOICED PRIVATELY THAT A MORE TACTFUL HANDLING OF THE SITUATION BY PROF. SPEYER, CHAIRMAN OF THE POLITICAL COMMITTEE, MIGHT HAVE AVERTED THE WALKOUT. IT WAS STATED THAT THERE WAS NO NECESSITY FOR AN IMMEDIATE VOTE, ESPECIALLY SINCE MR. WARBURG AND DR. WEIZMANN WERE IN THE MIDST OF CONFERENCES AIMED AT A COMPROMISE.
THE COUNCIL’S ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE THIS MORNING ADOPTED A RESOLUTION URGING THE AGENCY EXECUTIVE TO CREATE A COMMITTEE OF ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS TO ADAPT THE AGENCY’S BY-LAWS TO THE PRESENT SITUATION.
DR. MAGNES LEFT FOR PARIS TODAY. HE IS BEING MENTIONED AS A MEMBER OF THE NEW EXECUTIVE.
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