Palestine Jewry was in a state of furor today when it became known officially that the government had granted the Agency for Palestine a total of only 5,600 immigration certificates, and in addition had issued an ordinance prohibiting Jews from picketing enterprises owned by Jews and employing Arab labor. The new law will thus make illegal the united fight waged by all parties and factions to employ Jews only.
The excitement in Jewish Palestine today was equaled only by the publication of the White Paper of 1930 by the British government, which was based on Sir John Hope Simpson’s land report. The White Paper, which was issued by the MacDonald Labor government, contained a declaration of policy which was regarded by Zionists as a vital blow against the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate. Dr. Chaim Weizmann, then president of the World Zionist Organization, resigned as a protest against the document.
Added excitement was lent here by the simultaneous publication of the news concerning the £ 2,000,000 loan negotiated by the Palestine government. The entire Hebrew press was unanimous in condemning the loan as a “blow to Jewish interests.”
DAVAR COMES OUT
Despite the fact that news of the immigration schedule became known Saturday, when no Hebrew papers are published, Davar, Laborite paper, appeared early that evening with an extra containing a banner across the front page reading, “The Government is Chaining Immigration.” Thousands of free copies were distributed in the streets of this city and Tel Aviv.
The executive of the Histadruth, Central Labor Federation of Palestine, was immediately called into session and issued a proclamation calling for “a decisive war against both acts of the government,” terming them as a “second edition of the White Paper of October 1930, which provoked Jewry all over the world.”
At the same time steps were taken to arrange for large protest meetings in every city, town and colony in Palestine, and to mobolize all Jewish residents to fight for labor and immigration rights.
The proclamation of the Histadruth revealed that the Jewish Agency had asked the government for 20,100 immigration certificates.
JEWISH AGENCY MEETS
The executive of the Jewish Agency held an extraordinary sitting here to consider the draft of a statement on the immigration problem, which will represent the views and attitude of the Jewish Agency toward the Palestine government. Meanwhile the immigration department of the Agency announced officially that all applications for certificates received since this week will be considered in September, when the winter immigration schedule is made up.
The government loan is regarded as an additional and severe blow, because as the Hebrew press pointed out, while the burden of paying for the loan will fall on Palestinian Jewry, they will benefit only to the extent of £75,000. The remainder will go directly or indirectly to the Arabs, since government agencies employ mainly Arab labor. Some £250,000 will be used to obtain land for landless Arabs, while £106,000 will go for Arab schools. The distribution of the loan, the Hebrew papers complained bitterly, “is entirely in the spirit of the White Paper, Lord Passfield, Simpson and French.”
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