Ben-Gurion pointed out that although there is a marked improvement in the readiness of the Palestine government to permit a greater immigration into the country than was evident two years ago, there still is a great disparity between the needs and demands of the Zionist work in Palestine and the number of immigration certificates issued by the government.
“This struggle with the government ,” he said, “we will undoubtedly have to carry on for a good time to come, for the British government, even though it be most friendly to us, is still first and foremost a British and not a Zionist Government.”
Ben-Gurion deplored the fact that so large a proportion of Jews entering the country flock to the cities where wages are higher than in the colonies. Neglect of agricultural settlement in the country, he warned, can result in the ruination of the Zionist work.
The main problem in Palestine, he said, is to increase the productiveness of the soil. “To bring a larger area under cultivation and to make it more fruitful, is of greater political value than repeated declarations in Parliament by diplomats about safeguarding the terms of the mandate, for therein lies the solution not only to our own needs but also to the needs of the Arab peasants,” he declared.
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.
