The 1,800-certificate immigration schedule granted to the Jewish Agency for Palestine for the next six months was described as “measly” by Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Agency, but he hailed the grant as a victory for the Jews.
Addressing a meeting of the British Friends of the Hebrew University last night, he interpreted the schedule as signifying maintenance of an “open door policy” in Palestine “despite many attempts to close it.”
Declaring that, without being too optimistic, there was no ground for pessimism, he stressed the need for intensive efforts in behalf of the Zionist cause.
“It is unthinkable that this work, which has been so successful, shall be interfered with or curtailed,” he said, “but we shall have a hard struggle.”
Sir Herbert Samuel, first High Commissioner of Palestine, declared there was no inherent obstacle to bringing together Arabs and Jews in the Holy Land.
“There is no antipathy between the two races among the rank and file,” he said. “There is no real clash between economic interests. The difficulty is political and psychological, and wise statesmanship can find a way to solve that difficulty.”
He denied that any incompatibility existed between the wartime promises made by Great Britain to the Arabs and to the Jews. Urging an attitude of optimism on Palestine, he said:
“There is no incompatibility in the pledges made to the Arab and to the Jew during the war. I hope the Royal Commission will and it should render an authoritative statement in this respect.”
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