Attacking Present Zionist Leadership and Condemning England’s Palestine Policy, Jabotinsky Tells Rev

Sharp and bitter criticism of the present leadership of the world Zionist Organization and condemnation of the British policy in Palestine was voiced in a three-hour speech delivered by Vladimir Jabotinsky, leader of the Zionist Revisionists, speaking here yesterday at the opening session of the fourth world conference of the Union of Zionist Revisionists, the opposition to the Weizmann regime within the world Zionist Organization.

Charging the British government with not doing its duty towards the Jews in Palestine and accusing the Palestine administration of creating an atmosphere which enables the Arabs to say that “now the government is with us,” Mr. Jabotinsky nevertheless expressed his opposition to the demand that the Palestine Mandate be transferred from England to some other power.

ZIONIST LEADERSHIP BLAMED

The present Zionist leadership he condemned even more than the British government because he declared that the Zionist Executive had never demanded enough protection from the British government and did not protest against the Palestine government’s anti-Jewish policy. Accusing the Zionist executive of converting Zionism into a money-collecting movement and holding it largely responsible for the recent events, Mr. Jabotinsky said that “this policy of the Zionist Executive must now be declared bankrupt.”

Pointing out that Premier MacDonald in his booklet “Socialism and Palestine,” written in 1922, supported the Balfour Declaration, saying, “England promised the Jews that Palestine would be given to them to govern and to settle,” Mr. Jabotinsky said that “now the British government, under the same MacDonald is not doing its duty towards the Jews. Since last year the Palestine government has been conducting an active and outspoken anti-Semitism.”

GOVERNMENT HOSTILE TO ZIONISM

After saying that it hurt him “to declare that what Kishinev means in the history of the Czarist regime Safed and Hebron mean in the history of the British regime.” Mr. Jabotinsky charged that the “Palestine government has actually created an atmosphere which enables the Arabs to say ‘now the government is with us.’ It is openly against Zionism.”

Enumerating a number of facts to substantiate his accusations against the Palestine government, the Revisionist leader said that “this administration has actually hinted to the Arabs that they may rise against the Jews. The administration began toying with fire by provoking the Arabs to outbreaks during the Wailing Wall incident and later.

ARAB RESTLESSNESS ARTIFICIAL

“The attitude of the London government, however, is even worse than that of the Palestine government, the former now being not only unsympathetic toward Zionism but lacking in energy to settle the anti-Jewish feelings in Palestine and hypocritical regarding the Jewish demands. Even Sir John Simpson’s mission means nothing because it is superficial. The world must know that we are not in conflict with Islam or even with the Arabs. All of the Arab restlessness is artificially stimulated by the Palestine government.”

Mr. Jabotinsky then turned to the present Zionist leadership by saying that “England is less to be blamed for its present policy than the official Zionist Executive because the Zionist Executive always claimed that all was well and never demanded enough protection from the British government. It did not protest against the Palestine government’s anti-Jewish policy, being always too busy spreading optimistic propaganda and delivering long speeches in the United States to the effect that the Jewish political situation in Palestine was better than ever. It converted Zionism into a money-collecting movement. This policy of the Zionist executive must now be declared bankrupt and largely responsible for the many recent events.”

CONDITIONS FOR CONCILIATION WITH ARABS

Dealing with the problem of conciliation with the Arabs Mr. Jabotinsky declared it would be welcomed “only on condition that the Arabs recognize free Jewish immigration.” He declared that “we want the Arabs to know the truth, that we want a Jewish majority in Palestine. We want a Jewish country on both sides of the Jordan River as Lord Balfour promised. We want Palestine for us alone.

“No country was ever colonized with the permission of the natives. Even the United States was colonized against the will of the natives, but didn’t the world benefit by it? It is similar in our case in settling Palestine against the will of the Arabs who have plenty of free territory in Syria, Mesopotamia, Algeria and Egypt, land equivalent to half of all Europe.”

In discussing the course of future Zionist policy Mr. Jabotinsky went on record as opposing the demand that the Palestine Mandate be transferred from England to some other power. He said, “It is true that distrust of England is now prevalent among world Jewry, but we must remain unexcited and make a last experiment with England which must decide whether or not it is willing to cooperate with the Jews in creating a Jewish majority. The time may come when England will lose every moral right to remain in Palestine. Should this misfortune come the Jewish people will not remain in Palestine alone.”

The conference, which is being held in the Prague Stock Exchange, is being attended by over 200 delegates from all parts of the world, Germany with 20 and Poland with 50 having the largest representations. The first session was greeted by representatives of the Zionist Federation of Czechoslovakia, and the Jewish National Party.

MAY BREAK AWAY FROM Z. O.

From all indications it is likely that the Revisionists may decide to break away from the Zionist Organization, if the opinion of the majority of the delegates carries weight. The various delegations have been in session since last night preparing severe resolutions against the present Zionist leadership. The Revisionists feel that the large number of delegates makes the conference almost as important as the Zionist Congress.

One prominent Revisionist leader said today that he felt that the conference would have no hesitation in voting against the Jewish Agency. He explained that “unless the Jewish Agency is elected on a pure democratic basis I will not recognize it and will oppose it.” Other matters to be taken up by the conference are the Revisionists’ attitude to Great Britain, their attitude toward the Arabs and the question of whether or not to remain a part of the general Zionist organization.

The Radical Zionists appear to be extremely interested in the outcome of the present conference as seen by the presence here of Robert Stricker, Radical leader from Austria. His attendance here is a pleasant surprise to the Revisionist leaders. On the other hand Prof. Selig Brodetsky, a member of the Zionist Executive, is expected here as the heavy gun of the Zionist Executive. He will endeavor to point out to the conference that the acts of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Organization, until now were justified and were the best that could be done under the circumstances.

The local post office officials have established a special post office in the conference hall where mail will be stamped with a special stamp for the occasion in Hebrew and in the native tongues of the various delegates.