Prof. Selig Brodetaky, president of the Board of I Deputies of British Jews and veteran British Zionist leader, was elected president of the British Zionist Federation today at the closing session of the golden Jubilee three-day convention of the Federation. He succeeds Dr. Chain Weizmann, President of Israel, who was elected “patron” of the organization.
Earlier, Fred Nettler, chairman of the Joint Palestine Appeal, urged deletes to the convention to meet the 1949 goal of the Appeal, which previously was announced as $12,000,000. Over $8,000,000 was raised during 1948 by the Appeal, battler revealed.
Denouncing the “propaganda launched by the British Foreign Office and the British press against so-called Israeli aggressiveness,” Prof. Brodetsky told the political session of the convention that “we British Jews have the right to say is the government, it is your duty to help peace and not place obstacles in its way.”
Touching on the question of the Palestine Arab refugees, the new president of the British Zionist Federation said that “measures have been taken to counteract the unfounded charges which are expected to be raised in Lords tomorrow by our good friend, the Archbishop of York.” He termed the demand that Israel allow the Arab refugees to return to their former homes “a most impudent request, emphasizing that Israel is willing to cooperate with the Arabs by settling displaced Arabs in under-populated Arab countries.
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