Zionist Actions Committee Adopts Compromise Resolution on Terrorism

The issue of terrorism, which has dominated the deliberations of the Zionist Actions Committee, was settled today by the adoption by the Political Commission of a compromise resolution recommended by the executive. The vote was 23 to 5, with one abstention. Three Revisionists and two Mizrachi delegates were opposed.

The resolution, which voices support of that adopted at the World Zionist Congress in December, calls for urgent educational and persuasive measures to curb terrorism and to deprive it of financial and moral support. It declares that support of the extremists–the Irgun and Stern Group are specified–constitutes a violation of Zionist discipline. However, it does not call for armed resistance to the dissidents.

Passage of the resolution by the Political Commission came after the executive had convinced the group that it was the best method of dealing with terrorism. Both the right-wing Revisionists and the left-wing Hashomer Hatzair criticized the resolution, for different reasons. David Ben Gurion said he was in sympathy with the Eashomer Hatzair objections, but the resolution was the only feasible compromise. Prof. Selig Brodetsky stated that the Actions Committee could only outline a policy, leaving it to the executive to fill in the details.

The Political Commission will resume meeting tomorrow night when it will hear a report from Moshe Shertok, who has been in Geneva the last day or two in connection with the UNSCOP report. The commission will also have to decide on the establishment of a political committee in New York to advise the executive on the U.N. General Assembly session and the role of the non-Zionists in the Agency. The Organization Commission has tentatively voted against reducing the size of the Actions Committee, but the question is still fluid and will be discussed by the Political Commission.