The hopes that Malcolm MacDonald would display a more liberal policy towards Jewish immigration into Palestine, suffered a setback today when the new Colonial Secretary officially informed Col. Josiah Wedgwood that he will take no steps toward changing the restrictions against admitting Jews into Palestine, Transjordan and Cyprus.
The information was given by Mr. MacDonald to Col. Wedgwood in written form. It came as a reply to a demand from Col. Wedgwood that German Jews be permitted freely to enter Palestine, Transjordan and Cyprus.
CITES ‘ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY’
“Immigration into Palestine must be governed by the economic absorptive capacity of the country,” MacDonald’s letter says. “The High Commissioner of Palestine is showing every sympathy toward the plight of German Jews. He must, however, observe the principle of absorptive capacity.”
With regard to Jewish immigration into Transjordan, the former Premier’s son refers to a reply already given on this question by Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, his predecessor, in which he stated that “the High Commissioner of Palestine is not able to recommend the encouragement of Jewish settlement in Transjordan.”
Answering the question about Jewish immigration to Cyprus Mr. MacDonald writes that “free immigration into Cyprus would be prejudicial to the interests of the inhabitants there.”
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