Jews Turn Down Macdonald Plan; Weizmann Holds It Completely Unacceptable

Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald’s three-point scheme for a compromise solution of the Palestine question was flatly rejected by the Jews today when their considered reply to the proposals was delivered to the British Government representatives at this morning’s British-Jewish session at St. James Palace. The proposed compromise, providing for restriction of Jewish immigration, curb on land acquisition by Jews and establishment of Arab-Jewish political equality, had been submitted to the Jews on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax, who was present at the opening of this morning’s meeting, heard Jewish Agency President Chaim Weizmann declare the proposals were completely unacceptable to the Jews, who under no circumstances would accept permanent minority status or infringement of the Balfour Declaration such as the proposals implied.

While not going into details, observing it would be a waste of time when there was no agreement on principle, Dr. Weizmann pointed out it was the considered view of the Jews that the proposals for restriction of immigration could not be accepted since they introduced the entirely new principle of giving the Arabs consent or veto rights on Jewish immigration.

M.M. Ussishkin, world leader of the Jewish National Fund and chairman of the Zionist General Council, attacked the land proposal and expressed regret that the conference had begun with proposals that did not take into consideration the Balfour Declaration, the League of Nations Mandate and all other British pledges to the Jews.

During the ensuing discussion, a Jewish delegate told Mr. MacDonald that the Jews would never accept the proposals put forward and that they could only be imposed by Britain without the acquiescence of the Jews. Participating in the discussion, Mr. MacDonald again referred to fears of the Palestine Arabs concerning possible domination by the Jews. A Jewish spokesman replied that the Jews neither desired nor intended to dominate the Arabs, but they would never accept Arab domination. He pressed the view that a satisfactory agreement could be reached only by direct discussion between Arabs and Jews, but Mr. MacDonald neither commented nor offered any promise to attempt to arrange a meeting between the two delegations.

Another British-Jewish meeting is scheduled for next Monday evening, but it is not clear what the basis will be for further discussions. It is apparent that the talks are now back at the point at which they started and it is a question whether Mr. MacDonald will make new proposals or attempt to break down Jewish opposition. The next British-Arab meeting will be held tomorrow morning.

The compromise proposals, presented to the Jewish delegation by Mr. MacDonald on Wednesday night, were put in a very tentative form, prefaced with the frequently-repeated statement that they did not represent the Government’s views. They covered three points — immigration, constitution and land. Regarding the first point, Mr. MacDonald asked the Jews what they thought of a scheme for restriction of immigration under a criterion representing a modification of the economic absorptive capacity standard to continue in effect for a stipulated number of years, with entry regulated so as not to alter the present population status — that is, to ensure that at the end of the period the Arabs would still be in the majority. Subsequently, immigration would be regulated under an Arab-Jewish agreement. The Jews were understood to have objected on the ground that the idea would establish the principle that Arab consent was necessary for Jewish immigration.

Regarding a constitution, Mr. MacDonald was understood to have spoken only briefly, making no detailed suggestion, but only indicating some form of political equality giving the Arabs and Jews an equal voice on questions such as legislation. On the question of land, he outlined a proposed system under which Palestine would be divided into three types of areas — (1) where Jewish land acquisition would be prohibited, (2) where it would be restricted, (3) where Jews would be free to acquire land.

Further light on the nature of the British plans was shed when it was reliably learned that Mr. MacDonald yesterday countered Arab demands for establishment of a Palestine Arab State with tentative proposals for a legislative council in which the Arabs would be a majority, restriction of Jewish immigration to the Jewish zones with gradual diminution over a period of years and restriction of Jewish land acquisition along the lines suggested in the proposals to the Jews.

The Arabs, continuing to urge establishment of an Independent State, offered universal franchise, autonomy to the Jews in the predominantly Jewish area, establishment of joint councils in districts where the population is mixed and admission of Jews to the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, the American Jewish delegates to the conferences, Dr. Stephen S. Wise and Robert Szold, today saw United States Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, who returned yesterday from a visit to the United States. They were understood to have discussed developments at the Palestine conferences.