Palestine Needs Refugees As Much As They Need Havens, Says Jewish War Hero

Not only can tens of thousands of Jewish refugees find havens in Palestine, but the country needs them if it is to maintain its present rate of agricultural and industrial expansion, Itshaq Ben-Ahron, a member of the political department of the Jewish Agency and one of Palestine’s chief war heroes, said today at a press conference arranged by the U.J.A.

Ben-Ahron, who fought in Libya and Greece with Palestine Jewish units was the only officer to stay with his command when the Allied front in Greece collapsed. He was captured by the Germans, who held him prisoner for four years. He stressed that the Jewish community in Palestine was self-sufficient and only sought aid in the U.S. to provide homes and care for refugees from Europe. He said that relations between Jews and Arabs “had never been better.”