Last minute efforts were made here today to avert or delay the proclamation of martial law in Palestine in the event of ## terroism. A final decision is expected to be taken by the Cabinet tomorrow.
A spokesman for the Colonial Office today indicated that a possibility exists that the British Government may propose its own partition plan which, however, will not be the same as the one offered by the executive of the Jewish Agency.
Should the Jewish Agency definitely refuse to participate in the London conference and should the British Government decide to propose its own partition scheme, then it would be fair to assume that the Agency will be invited to discuss the new proposal, the official said.
The statement from the Colonial Office spokesman came in comment on the assertion made here yesterday by Moshe Shertok, chief of the political department of the world Zionist executive, that the Jewish Agency would be willing to accept a British invitation for separate talks on the future of Palestine. At a press conference, Shertok also pointed out that the abandonment by the British Government of its “federalization plan” for Palestine, followed by an indication of its preparedness to consider constructive alternative proposals looking toward Jewish statehood might be considered a change in the political situation warranting Jewish attendance at the London parley.
Shertok said that the government’s failure to react positively to the partition plan hammered out by the Jewish Agency executive in Paris last summer had forced the Agency to revert to the full Zionist program of a Jewish state in Palestine. He insisted that it was now up to the government to put forward proposals for the Agency’s consideration, and added that while the Agency does not feel itself bound by the opening date of the London conference, set by the British for Jan. 21, it could arrive at a decision within ten days or two weeks.
Commenting on Dr. Stephen Wise’s statement concerning his resignation from offices in the Zionist Organization of America, he said: “Dr. Wise is a very sincere person and a revered friend of mine, but I personally felt unhappy and deeply hurt about some of the extreme words he used. I consider them unjustified.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
