Sir Wyndham Deedes, who has just resigned as the Civil Secretary of the Palestine Administration, last night addressed a meeting at the Grand Central Hotel called by the English Zionist Federation.
Declaring that he favored Zionism because by enabling Jews to return to Palestine the world was righting a wrong committed by Christians 2,000 years ago, Sir Wyndham said only lack of money was hampering Zionist progress in all directions. The former Civil Secretary referring to his own attitude towards the Palestine problem said he was naturally pro British, and from that it followed that he was pro-Jewish as well as pro-Arab. If not for Zionism, England may not have come into possession of Palestine. Divinity, he said, was guiding the Zionist cause.
Sir Wyndham paid tribute to the Chaluzim whose number by the end of 1922, he said, was 27,000. He rejoiced that 95% of the Jews in Palestine were Hebrew-speaking.
Deploring the constant criticism of the Palestine Administration, the head of which, Sir Herbert Samuel, Deedes praised very highly. Deedes said that nothing gives the Arabs greater confidence in their opposition than the misrepresentation and exaggeration appearing in the British press. The Zionists, he said, were very keen about arriving at an understanding with the Arabs and the Palestine Executive branch of the Zionist Organization was doing everything to overcome Arab opposition.
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