The recent decision of the British Government to force prospective tourists to Palestine to deposit 60 pound (about $300) before getting visas will cripple the Palestine tourist trade and tend to cut the flow of Immigration to that country, Morris Margulies, secretary of the Zionist Organization of America, stated yesterday.
At a meeting of the administrative committee it was decided to appoint a committee to take the matter up with the State Department at Washington. A protest will be formulated based on the grounds that the British Government’s action is discriminatory, in that it will still be possible for tourists to Egypt and Syria, adjoining countries, to get visas without putting up deposits.
Doubt was expressed also by members of the administrative committee as to the legality of the ruling. In the opinion of several of those present, the British Consul here has no authority to accept money from tourists.
“There is no doubt,” Margulies declared, “that if this ruling is permitted, Palestine tourist trade, on which the country has been considerably dependent, will be wrecked. Immigration also will be adversely affected. It is a well known fact that many tourists who go to Palestine on a visit are so impressed with the beauty of the country, the progress it has made and the opportunity for the future, that they decide to emigrate from their own countries.”
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