Wartime Policy of Palestine Jews Towards Britain Defined by Ben-gurion

The political attitude of the Jews in Palestine today can be summarized as one of “resistance to the White Paper as if there were no war, help to Great Britain as if there were no White Paper,” David Ben-Gurion, chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency declared at a press conference here today.

Ben-Gurion, who flew from Palestine to London to discuss important problems concerning the Jewish interests in Palestine, charged the British administration in the Near East with still being under “Munich illusions.” He revealed that no action was taken by the Palestine administration against Nazi fifth column activities in Palestine until four months ago. “The civil administration,” he said, “has still the mentality of 1938, but the military authorities know what they are up against.”

Speaking about the attitude of the Arabs, Ben-Gurion stated that there are, of course, Arabs who are pro-British, but the majority of the Arabs are simply sitting on the fence.

“Hundreds of thousands of Jews will proceed to Palestine after this war is over,” Ben-Gurion predicted. “White Paper or no White Paper, Jewish State or no Jewish State, no one will be able to stop them.” He expressed his personal opinion that the only way in which the work in Palestine will be carried on after the war is by establishing a Jewish State there. He regretted the fact that the Jews are always being referred to as “Palestinians” in the official British war communiques. “Why must Jewish identity be hidden under an anonymous designation when the only reason for the Palestine Jew being in the war is the same as their reason for being in Palestine – just that they are Jews,” he pointed out.

Ben-Gurion also expressed his opinion that if Jewish man power in Palestine were used in full, “which can only be if Jews are enabled to fight in Jewish units,” then thousands of Jews from neutral countries would join the Palestine forces to fight wherever needed.