Herbert Samuel Recommends Admission of 50,000 Jews Annually to Palestine

Viscount Herbert Samuel, first Palestine High Commissioner, testifying today before the Anglo-American inquiry committee, urged the admission of 50,000 Jews annually to Palestine and revealed that the original draft of the Balfour Declaration contained the term “Jewish State,” which was later changed to “Jewish National Home.”

Dr. Chaim Weizmann and Dr. Nahum Sokolow, who saw the draft, did not object to the change, Lord Samuel declared. Asked whether he considered that the promises under the Balfour Declaration had been fulfilled, he replied that the process of fulfillment is still going on and must continue.

Asked whether he is against the partitioning of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, Lord Samuel said: “Very much so!” He emphasized that he favors the abolition of the White Paper, particularly the immigration restrictions for Jews, but does not object to reserving certain land areas in Palestine for Arabs under new arrangements.

Continuing his testimony, Lord Samuel said that he does not think that there ought to be any Arab immigration to Palestine. He expressed the opinion that the standard of living in Palestine should be leveled out, on condition that the Arab standard be raised, rather than the Jewish scale lowered.

Asked what he thought were the reasons for the terrorism in Palestine, Lord Samuel said the responsibility for the terror lay with young Jews “who are not unnaturally inflamed seeing homes being offered for Jewish survivors, but, at the same time, these people are shut out of Palestine.” Terror and assassination is generally not a Jewish method, he added.

Sir Hubert Young, former Governor of Rhodesia, told the commission that he favors the partitioning of Palestine into two autonomous regions, with continued Jewish immigration for the Jewish region.