British Government Asked by Jewish Agency to Establish Jewish State Immediately

The determination of the Jewish Agency to secure the immediate establishment of Palestine as a Jewish State was emphasized in a memorandum submitted by the Agency to the British Government, the text of which was made public here today for the first time.

The memorandum was read at today’s session of the Assefath Hanivcharim, the Jewish National Assembly of Palestine, which was attended by leaders of various groups, by Moshe Shertok, the head of the political department of the Jewish Agency. Its main points are: 1. The Jewish State must be established immediately: 2. The Jewish Agency is opposed to any partition of Palestine; 3. Control over Jewish immigration and land purchases in Palestine must be handed over to the Jewish Agency.

Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Jewish Agency, in whose honor the session of the Assembly was held, today told a delegation of the Jewish National Fund that he believes that the obstacles and restrictions now existing in Palestine with regard to land acquisition by Jews “will soon be removed.” The delegation presented him with photographs of the Golden Book of the Jewish National Fund which will carry his name and the proceeds of which will be used to acquire land for a “Weizmann Settlement.”

At today’s session of the Assembly, the representatives of the Aliyah Chadashah party, which is one of the largest organized groups in the country, asked whether

the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish State will take place before the Jews become a majority in Palestine and how the executive of the Jewish Agency intends to secure a Jewish majority. They also asked what plans for the country’s economy have been prepared by the executive of the Jewish Agency in anticipation of the establishment of a Jewish State.

LABORITE OPPOSITION FEARS PARTITIONING OF PALESTINE

Leaders of the opposition group within the Labor party, while not arguing against the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish State, charged that “the immediate establishment” of such a state may mean the partitioning of Palestine, which they oppose.

A sensation was caused when a representative of the Communist Party addressed the Assembly for the first time in 13 years. He emphasized that his party is opposed to the partitioning of Palestine “because partition would harm the interests of the Arabs.” At the same time, he spoke against the British White Paper which restricts Jewish immigration to Palestine. He called upon Jewish leaders to fight fascism in all its forms.

The representative of the Jewish Agency in Turkey, reporting on efforts to bring Jews from the Balkan countries to Palestine, urged cooperation by the Jewish Agency with the Joint Distribution Committee and with the UNRRA and demanded immediate assistance for the remnants of European Jewry.