Practically Certain Congress Will Reject Macdonald Letter As Basis of Co-operation with Mandatory Mr

It is practically certain that the Zionist Congress will almost unanimously reject the MacDonald letter as the basis of co-operation between Zionism and the Mandatory Power, Mr. Vladimir Jabotinsky, the President of the Zionist Revisionist World Union said at a press conference which he addressed here in connection with the present discussion on Palestine at the session of the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations.

Zionists are not concerned with “Imperialist ambition”, he continued, but with the need of gradually transferring to Palestine the Jewish masses who are subjected to economic and moral distress. This conception of a great humanitarian salvage work is bound up with an indestructible national feeling and the right to existence of the Zionist movement. The humanitarian character of Zionism unconditionally demands a large-scale immigration. By assuming the Palestine Mandate Britain had pledged herself to take all the necessary measures to facilitate immigration. This obliga- tion could not be disposed of by a substitute like, for instance, the creation of a “spiritual centre” which would leave the Jewish masses in the antisemitic countries hopeless and in distress. Mr. Jabotinsky emphasised in this connection the danger that would follow on millions of people who had placed all their hope in Zionism being reduced to a state of utter despair because their hopes in this regard had been shattered.

All Zionists were at one in the desire for an understanding, Mr. Jabotinsky proceeded. But the public opinion of the civilised world must understand and it must get the Mandatory Power to understand that we cannot surrender free immigration in Palestine to any artificial restrictions. That would be tantamount to a negation of Zionism.

If Mr. MacDonald, he went on, makes it a sine qua non for loyally carrying out the Mandate that it is our duty to come to an understanding with the Arabs, he knows full well that he is demanding something that does not depend on us. Furthermore, the British Administration in Palestine is trying to prevent any such understanding with the Arabs.

Dr. S. Soskin, member of the Executive of the Zionist Revisionist World Union, also addressed the press representatives, dealing with the statements of facts and the recommendations made in the Simpson Report. In reality, he contended, the absorption capacity of Palestine is about ten times as much as is assumed by Sir John Hope Simpson, and he complained also that the Simpson Report does not take into account the great colonisation possibilities of Transjordan, which, he said, is economically inseparable from Palestine.