Determination to defy Britain’s plan for establishment of an independent Palestine state with a one-third Jewish minority was expressed today by Palestine Jewish leaders, arriving to attend the World Zionist Congress, which opens in the Municipal Theater Wednesday night.
White the more than 150 Palestinians, constituting the largest delegation at the forthcoming Congress, were converging on Geneva, a pre-Congress world conference of the Mizrachi Organization was meeting in closed session to discuss the question of legal and illegal immigration of Jewish refugees into the Holy Land. The Mapai (Palestine Jewish labor party) delegation to the Congress today opened a four day conference, which will be held entirely in camera.
Leading members of the Palestine delegation, which represents all sections of the Jewish homeland except the Revisionists, declared it was considered in Palestine that the British policy must fail of achievement in view of the opposition to it being or organized by Holy Land Jewry. Confidence was expressed that immigration and land buying would continue despite British attempts to check these forms of growth of the Jewish homeland.
The Government, it was explained by the delegates, will find it very hard to hamper Jews in acquiring land since this would affect the interests of citizens of the United States and other countries, who, under treaty guarantees, could not be prevented from buying land simply because they are Jews. Furthermore, it was pointed out, if the Government pursues its policy of prohibiting individual Jews from purchasing land, it would be difficult to interfere with a share holding corporation which might take a special interest in acquiring Palestine property.
Regarding immigration, leading delegates made it clear that there would be no hesitation on the part of the majority of the Jewish population to encourage illegal entry should the British Government persist in its policy of prohibiting or restricting Jewish immigration. The Palestine immigration authorities cannot effectively combat illegal immigration without Jewish help, it was state, since the Holy Land has a long Mediterranean coastline which could not be completely patrolled unless a large fleet were all along the coast.
Most of the Palestine Jewish leaders believe that strong, organized opposition to the British policy perhaps going as far as Gandhi’s methods of passive resistance and non cooperation will result in the defeat of the British policy, and perhaps even lead to the resignation of Colonial Secretary MacDonald.
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