British Plan Violates Mandate American Members of Agency’s Administrative Body Charge

Charging Lord Passfield, British Colonial Secretary, with being blind to the benefits which have flown from Jewish settlements and industries to the whole of Palestine, Jews and Arabs alike, the American members of the Administrative Committee of the Jewish Agency, in an authorized statement issued today through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, declared that if the British government’s statement of its future policy in Palestine is acted upon it will constitute a flagrant violation of the Mandate and a repudiation by the British government of its covenant with the Jewish people and its obligations to the League of Nations.

The meeting of the American members of the Committee also adopted a unanimous resolution regretting the events and circumstances which yesterday compelled the resignation of Felix M. Warburg as chairman of the Administrative Committee. The meeting was attended by Dr. Cyrus Adler, Dr. Lee K. Frankel, Alexander Kahn, Rabbi Gedaliah Bublick, Bernard Flexner, Felix M. Warburg, Judge William M. Lewis, Morris Rothenberg, Berl Locker and Rabbi Wolf Gold, and by invitation Dr. Solomon Lowenstein, David M. Bressler, James N. Rosenberg, Robert Szold, Julius Simon and Joseph C. Hyman.

The authorized statement issued follows:

“With deep regret the American members of the Administrative Committee of the Jewish Agency for Palestine are compelled to express their protest against the future policy in Palestine just announced by the British government. If acted upon, it will constitute a flagrant violation of the Mandate and a repudiation by the British government of its covenant with the Jewish people and its obligations to the League of Nations.

“The new policy purports to be based on a report of a single individual made without special knowledge of conditions in Palestine before the recent

Jewish effort there and after a study of but a few months, formulated in camera and without discussion with the Jewish Agency, as provided by the Mandate. Such procedure for evolving a new Governmental policy affecting the destiny of peoples is contrary to the best traditions of the British government and undermines the very foundations of the undertaking explicitly assumed in the Balfour Declaration.

DISREGARDS FACTS AND TRUTHS

“What is now proposed disregards facts and truths and rests on a series of mistaken assumptions and unwarranted suspicions. Lord Passfield is blind to the benefits which have flown from Jewish settlements and industries to the whole of Palestine, Jews and Arabs alike. No informed comparison between the conditions of the Arabs before 1920 and their present status can escape recognition of the immense improvement of their lot due directly to Jewish enterprise, resources and devotion enlisted in the upbuilding of the Jewish National home.

“The proposed policy threatens the whole Jewish effort in Palestine. Such a policy would be in defiant disregard of the recent report of the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations, approved by the Council of the League. Charged with the duty of facilitating actively the upbuilding of the Jewish National Home, nevertheless the government is now proposing a plan, the effect of which will stifle that purpose.

“The Jewish people cannot yield to such a policy. The American members of the Administrative Committee of the Jewish Agency representing both Zionists and non-Zionists call upon all Jews to press forward with renewed vigor the work of rehabilitating the Holy Land with full confidence that the attempted repudiation of Jewish rights of immigration and settlement in Palestine will not be tolerated by the spirit of fair play of the British people and the enlightened opinion of mankind.”

REGRET RESIGNATION OF WARBURG

The following resolution was also adopted: “The American members of the Administrative Committee keenly regret the events and circumstances which have compelled the resignation of Mr. Felix M. Warburg as chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Jewish Agency.

“They are deeply appreciative, as they are certain the entire membership of the Administrative Committee must be, of the great value of the service which he has rendered at all times. They are happy to know that, notwithstanding his resignation his interest in the work of the upbuilding of Palestine will be continued. They are gratified at the suggestion which Mr. Warburg has made that he would participate in and lend his support to the establishment of such machinery as will assure that there may be no interruption of the work at hand.”