Weizmann Pleads with Chamberlain to Defer Palestine Policy; Decision Slated Next Week

Dr. Chaim Weizman; president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, saw Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald together tonight in the Prime Minister’s room of the House of Commons to make a last-minute plea for postponement of the British policy statement on Palestine and to seek clarification of the policy’s nature. Dr.Weizmann arrived here by airplane from Jerusalem last night.

The Jewish Agency has so far received no official intimation of the Government’s policy, which will be announced next week. While it is expected that the policy will approximate the final proposals made by Britain at the recent London conference on Palestine– establishment of an independent state will the Jews as a one-third minority no information has been received by the Agency regarding any possible changes in the form or details of the plans.

These changes, it is believed, will included a statement that the British obligations regarding a Jewish national home will have been fulfilled with admission of 75,000 more Jews to Palestine, and also elimination of the principle that Jewish consent is necessary before the transition between the present status status and an independent state is ended, to be replaced by a definite period of time for the transition.

When the Government’s policy is announced in Commons next week by Mr. MacDonald, the News-Chronicle said today, a vigorous controversy is expected in the House, with the Opposition demanding immediate debate on the issue.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem reports said keen speculation has been aroused by the sudden departure by air from Beirut to Berlin of Jemal el Husseini, relative of the exiled ex-Mufti of Jerusalem and a leader of the Palestine Arab extremists. It was pointed out that the ex-Mufti’s agents in Berlin had been pressing for a visit to Berlin by one of his confidantes for consultation with the Nazis on the new Palestine policy.