have a majority in order to wield power. In Palestine the Jewish minority now is one-fifth of the population—that is much. According to all signs, this minority will some day become a quarter or a half of the population, and this minority will, in a cultural and economic sense, have the upper hand; so it will be quite easy for it to re-create in Palestine a Hebrew nation.
“But this will only be possible if Palestine remains under the British Mandate. If it should become autonomous—even in the form of a dominion—there is little hope that the Arabs will respect the rights of the Jewish minority and allow it free development.
“Will, therefore, autonomy have to be refused Palestine for a long time in order to establish and secure a Jewish national home? Most assuredly this is today one of the many serious problems of the rights of peoples with which we are confronted.
“In spite of that, however, we should not give up the hope for a reconciliation of the two peoples, who throughout their history were friends. The Arabs will be conciliated if the Zionists do not insist too strongly on their right of primogeniture and will not regard themselves as the only ones who should lord it over the entire heritage.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
