Arabs and the Palestine administration were pointedly reminded today that in the event of renewed disturbances Palestine Jewry had 180,000 men between the ages of 20 and 45 who constituted an “enormous power.”
The reminder was voiced by David Ben-Gurion, chairman of the Jerusalem executive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, addressing the thirty-fourth annual conference of the Histadruth, Jewish labor federation, of which he is general secretary.
It was prefaced by a declaration that the Palestine Jewish community had shown “political wisdom” in confining itself to self-defense during the 1936 disorders.
Discussing the investigation of the Palestine situation by the British Royal Commission, Mr. Ben-Gurion declared its decisions would not be “the last word for us.”
The labor leader pledged a fight against High Commissioner Wauchope’s alleged change immigration policy from the principle of economic absorptive capacity as a basis to one based on political factors.
He voiced criticism of proposals that Palestine be placed on a bi-national basis, declaring such an idea misrepresented Zionism.
“Palestine,” he said, “must be Jewish in its basis. The Palestine Are aim to dominate.”
The disturbances, Mr. Ben-Gurion charged, arose from a “primitive, unconstructive Arab nationalism, inviting even bands from abroad.”
He criticized, the Histadruth’s failure to observe the Sabbath.
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