New Obstacles to Partition Parleys Seen in Non-zionist Opposition

OPPOSITION OF A DETERMINED ZIONIST MINORITY AND NON-ZIONIST JEWISH LEADERS THREATENED TODAY TO THROW NEW OBSTACLES IN THE WAY OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE, AUTHORIZED BY THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS.

A ZIONIST BLOC OPPOSING PARTITION OF PALESTINE ANNOUNCED FORMATION OF A POLITICAL COMMITTEE TO CHECK ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE INCOMING EXECUTIVE IN ITS PARLEYS WITH BRITAIN WHILE ZIONIST LEADERS ANTICIPATED A CLASH WITH THE NON-ZIONISTS COMPRISING FIFTY PER CENT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE, ITS BIENNIAL MEETING HERE NEXT WEDNESDAY.

THE ZIONIST ANTI-PARTITIONISTS DEMANDED THAT THE EXECUTIVE’S POLITICAL DEPARTMENT TAKE NO ACTION WITHOUT CONSULTING THE OPPOSITION’S COMMITTEE. MAJORITY LEADERS DECLARED ACCEPTANCE OF THESE DEMANDS WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION SINCE IT WOULD BE TANTAMOUNT TO ESTABLISHING TWO POLITICAL DEPARTMENTS BETWEEN WHICH CONFLICT WAS INEVITABLE.

ZIONIST MAJORITY CHIEFS SUGGESTED EITHER THAT THE EXECUTIVE BE ENLARGED TO INCLUDE ANTI PARTITION MEMBERS WITHOUT PORTFOLIO, OR THAT THE ZIONIST GENERAL COUNCIL’S POLITICAL SUBCOMMITTEE, A LARGER BODY THAN THE EXECUTIVE, BE CONVOKED MORE OFTEN AND EMPOWERED TO GIVE DIRECTIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE ON POLITICAL MATTERS.

ANTI-PARTITIONISTS, DESPITE A RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY AT THE CONGRESS AUTHORIZING NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN, REFUSED TO ACCEPT DEFEAT AND HELD TIME WOULD PLAY IN THEIR FAVOR. THEY SAID THAT MANY DELEGATES WHO HAD VOTED WITH THE MAJORITY WOULD JOIN THE ANTI-PARTITION GROUP WHEN NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN SHOWED THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S PARTITION SCHEME COULD NOT BE MODIFIED SUFFICIENTLY TO SATISFY THOSE LABORITES AND GENERAL ZIONISTS WHO HAD JOINED THE MAJORITY AT THE LAST MOMENT.

THE ANTI-PARTITIONISTS ALSO EXPECT BITTER OPPOSITION OF THE ARABS AGAINST MODIFICATION OF THE PROPOSED BOUNDARIES IN FAVOR OF THE JEWS. THESE CONSIDERATIONS MAKE THE OPPOSITION GROUP FIRM IN THEIR DEMANDS. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER THEY WILL AGREE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXECUTIVE. SENTIMENT SO FAR IS AGAINST PARTICIPATION, ESPECIALLY SINCE DR. WEIZMANN IS ANXIOUS TO INCLUDE IN THE EXECUTIVE MEMBERS OF HIS “BRAIN TRUST” SUCH AS PROFESSOR L.B. NAMIER AND LORD MELCHETT.

4 GROUPS DENY “FAVORING” PARTITION

FOUR IMPORTANT CONGRESS GROUPS, INCLUDING THE LABORITES AND THE MAJORITY GROUP OF THE AMERICAN DELEGATION, WHO HAD VOTED FOR THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION, ISSUED A WRITTEN STATEMENT TO THE JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY DENYING THAT THEY FAVOR PARTITION.

“THE FACT WE VOTED FOR THE RESOLUTION IS UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE INTERPRETED THAT WE APPROVE PARTITION, ” THE STATEMENT SAYS.

THE NON-ZIONIST OPPOSITION TO PARTITION IS EXPECTED TO BE LED BY FELIX M. WARBURG OF NEW YORK, NOW ON HIS WAY HERE WITH OTHER JEWISH LEADERS FOR THE JEWISH AGENCY COUNCIL MEETING. HIS STATEMENT IN NEW YORK YESTERDAY BEFORE SAILING IN WHICH HE DECLARED THE ZIONIST CONGRESS SPEAKS ONLY FOR ITS MEMBERS CAME AS A SHOCK TO ZIONIST LEADERS. MOST OF THE DELEGATE REMAINED UNAWARE OF THE STATEMENT.

LEADERS OF THE ZIONIST LABORITES, THE STRONGEST FACTION AT THE CONGRESS, AND THE GROUP A GENERAL ZIONISTS, EMPHASIZED THAT THE NON-ZIONISTS HAD NO CHANCE OF WINNING IN THEIR DEMAND THAT PARITY BETWEEN THE ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS BE MAINTAINED IN THE JEWISH AGENCY, THE BODY HITHERTO RECOGNIZED BY THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AS REPRESENTING THE JEWS ON PALESTINE AFFAIRS. THESE ZIONIST LEADERS STRESS THAT EVEN A NON-ZIONIST BOLT FROM THE JEWISH AGENCY WOULD MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN AS EVEN THE ROYAL COMMISSION REPORT, CAREFULLY EDITED AS IT IS, MENTIONS THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION AND NOT THE JEWISH AGENCY WHEN IT SPEAKS OF A JEWISH BODY WITH WHICH TO NEGOTIATE.

THAT ALIENATING THE NON-ZIONISTS WOULD CAUSE TROUBLE TO THE ZIONISTS IN A DIFFERENT FIELD WAS MADE CLEAR LAST NIGHT AT A SESSION OF THE ZIONIST CONGRESS FINANCIAL COMMISSION. AMERICAN MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION STATED THAT ZIONIST FUND-RAISING COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES WOULD DEFINITELY SUFFER IF THERE WERE A BREAK BETWEEN ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS IN THE JEWISH AGENCY COUNCIL.

ELIEZER KAPLAN, TREASURER BOTH OF THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE AND THE JEWISH AGENCY, POINTED OUT THE EXECUTIVE EXPECTED INCOME OF L300,000 (ABOUT $1,500,000) FROM THE PALESTINE FOUNDATION NEXT YEAR, OF WHICH ONE THIRD WAS EXPECTED FROM THE UNITED STATES. AMERICAN MEMBERS WARNED KAPLAN SUCH A SUM NEED NOT BE EXPECTED IF THE JEWISH AGENCY BREAD OCCURRED.

THERE WAS AN INDICATION TODAY THAT THE SPECIAL ZIONIST CONGRESS WHICH, UNDER THE RESOLUTION ADOPTED, IS TO BE CONVOKED TO CONSIDER A SCHEME FOR A JEWISH STATE ARISING FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN, MAY BE CONVOKED ABOUT JUNE OF NEXT YEAR. THE EXECUTIVE SUBMITTED A RESOLUTION TO THE ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDING THAT THE SALE OF “SHEKOLIM,” THE CERTIFICATES BOUGHT BY JEWS TO ELECT DELEGATES TO THE CONGRESS, BE CLOSED NOT LATER THAN THE END OF APRIL 1938.