Britain and Jewish Agency to Resume Informal Talks on Conference Participation

Informal talks between representatives of the British Government and members of the Jewish Agency executive will start tomorrow morning in the Colonial Office, it was learned here today following the arrival from Jerusalem of Rabbi J.L. Fishman and Eliezer Kaplan, Palestine members of the Agency.

Agency circles emphasized that the members who will participate in tomorrow’s consultations do not constitute the delegation which the Agency may send to the conference on Palestine, if the negotiations are successful. That delegation, they said, will be much larger and will include members of the Agency from the United States and elsewhere.

No fixed agenda was laid down for the informal talks. However, it is believed that the British Government may have some proposals to make. It is hard to believe that Colonial Secretary George Hall would have made the extraordinary gesture of visiting Dr. Chaim Weizmann this week-end unless he intends to suggest some modification of the “federalization plan.”

Immediately upon their arrival today, Rabbi Fishman and Eliezer Kaplan, together with Prof. Selig Brodetsky, Berl Locker and Dr. Nahum Goldmann, met with Dr. Weizmann to discuss the stand to be taken by them tomorrow. It is understood that the Agency group will interpret the resolution adopted by the Zionist Actions Committee in Jerusalem with regard to the conditions for Zionist participation in the conference and will insist on the release of the members of the executive from the Latrun camp.

BRITISH SAY THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THEIR ATTITUDE

The Government, in an official statement, today announced that “there is no change” in its attitude regarding the Jewish representation at the conference on Palestine which is now taking place at Lancaster House.

“A fresh approach,” the statement said, “was made last week in order to stress the fact that time is now short, and as the Arabs had fully stated their case, which is now under consideration, a final decision as to whether to attend the conference should be made by the Jewish Agency, if they were to avoid their case going by default.”

The statement then revealed that acting on this approach, the Jewish Agency proposed that “certain Jews in Palestine, not detained, should be brought to London to consult Dr. Weizmann. To this the Colonial Secretary readily agreed and instructions were issued to the Palestine High Commissioner to facilitate their speedy passage to England.”

The influention London Economist said today that the Government will have to impose its own solution of the Palestine problem on both the Jews and Arabs. It declared that the prospects for a solution in Palestine “are as black as ever.”