THE TWENTIETH BIENNIAL WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS APPROVED TODAY A BUDGET OF 365,000 POUNDS (ABOUT $1,825,000) COVERING PALESTINE COLONIZATION AND OTHER ACTIVITIES DURING THE COMING YEAR.
THE BUDGET WAS ADOPTED WHILE THE IMMIGRATION COMMITTEE DRAFTED A RESOLUTION PROTESTING PALESTINE RESTRICTIONS ON JEWISH ENTRY AND THE COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES DISCUSSED COMPOSITION OF THE INCOMING EXECUTIVE WHICH HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO NEGOTIATE WITH GREAT BRITAIN ON ITS PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN PALESTINE.
THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE CAME IN FOR CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION AT THE PLENARY SESSION, WITH SPEAKERS DENYING THAT ITS ESTABLISHMENT WOULD MEAN DUAL CITIZENSHIP FOR JEWS IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD AND ALSO DENYING THAT THE CONGRESS RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN MEANT ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTITIONING THE HOLY LAND.
THE BUDGET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING ALLOCATIONS: 75,000 POUNDS FOR COLONIZATION; 30,000 FOR SETTLEMENT OF JEWS FROM GERMANY; 34,000 FOR IMMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION TRAINING; 35,000 FOR LABOR AND CONSTRUCTION OF WORKERS’ DWELLINGS; 28,000 FOR EDUCATION 25,000 FOR THE WORK OF THE POLITICAL DEPARTMENT; 10,000 FOR ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY; 50,000 FOR REPAYMENT OF LOANS; 23,000 FOR EXPENSES OF THE PALESTINE FOUNDATION FUND, AND 22,000 FOR ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES IN JERUSALEM AND LONDON.
THE RESOLUTION ON IMMIGRATION SUBMITTED TO THE CONGRESS PROTESTS AGAINST THE SUBSTITUTION OF A POLITICAL BASIS FOR IMMIGRATION INSTEAD OF THE PRINCIPLE OF ECONOMIC ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY. IT OPPOSES THE EIGHT-MONTH QUOTA OF 1,000 JEWISH IMMIGRANTS A MONTH RECOMMENDED BY THE ROYAL COMMISSION, OBJECTS TO INTERFERENCE OF THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT WITH DISTRIBUTION OF IMMIGRATION CERTIFICATES BY THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE, AND DEMANDS LEGALIZATION OF THE STATUS OF JEWS WHO ENTERED PALESTINE ILLEGAL AS WELL AS AN INCREASE IN THE IMMIGRATION OF CHALUTZIM (PIONEERS).
THE COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES, AFTER HEARING AN ADDRESS BY DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, ZIONIST PRESIDENT, AND DISCUSSING THE COMPOSITION OF THE EXECUTIVE, PROPOSED TENTATIVELY FOUR ALTERNATIVES.
I. RETENTION OF THE PRESENT EXECUTIVE WITH THE ADDITION OF DR. STEPHEN S. WISE OF NEW YORK, BERL KATZNELSON, PALESTINE LABORITE, AND RABBI MEIR BERLIN, OF JERUSALEM, LEADER OF THE MIZRACHI ORGANIZATION.
2. RETENTION OF THE PRESENT EXECUTIVE WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT IN LONDON OF AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF FIVE TO NINE MEMBERS TO COOPERATE WITH THE EXECUTIVE ON POLITICAL MATTERS.
3. ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSAL OF MENACHEM MENDEL USSISHKIN, OF PALESTINE, TO GIVE THE ZIONIST GROUP OPPOSING PARTITION 40 PER CENT OF THE SEATS IN THE EXECUTIVE.
4. EXTENSION OF THE EXECUTIVE BY THE ADDITION OF LORD MELCHETT, BRITISH INDUSTRIALIST; DR. NAHUM GOLDMANN, ZIONIST REPRESENTATIVE AT GENEVA; BERL LOCKER, AND MOSHE SHAPIRO, OF THE ZIONIST LABORITE GROUP.
THE DISCUSSION WAS TO BE CONTINUED AFTER FACTIONAL CONFERENCES.
THE OTHERS OF THE TEN ZIONISTS COMMITTEE CONTINUED THEIR WORK OF DRAFTING REPORTS TO THE CONGRESS. THE POLITICAL COMMITTEE HEARD DR. GOLDMANN AND MOSHE SHERTOK, MEMBER OF THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE, REPORT THAT THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS MANDATES COMMISSION WAS INCLINED TO FAVOR CONTINUATION OF THE PALESTINE MANDATE, BUT WOULD NOT REJECT PARTITION IF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SUBMITTED A DEFINITE AND DETAILED PLAN. THE MANDATES COMMISSION REPORT TO THE LEAGUE COUNCIL IS EXPECTED, THEREFORE, TO BE VERY INCONCLUSIVE, THE SPEAKERS SAID.
DR. KURT BLUMENFELD, OF PALESTINE, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE GERMAN ZIONIST FEDERATION, ADDRESSING A PLENARY SESSION OF THE CONGRESS THIS MORNING, DISCUSSED THE WORK OF THE PALESTINE FOUNDATION FUND, AND ALSO THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CREATION OF A JEWISH STATE AND THE STATE’S REVENUE POSSIBILITIES.
“IF A JEWISH STATE SHOULD ARISE, ZIONIST IDEOLOGY FACES A NEW TEST,” DR. BLUMENFELD SAID. “THE ERRONEOUS IMPRESSION OF THE ANTI-ZIONIST WORLD WILL APPEAR IN A NEW FORM, BASED ON THE CRY OF DOUBLE CITIZENSHIP.
‘STATE SHOULD NOT INVOLVE CHANGE IN JEWS’ CIVIC STATUS’
“THE JEWISH STATE SHOULD NOT AND DARE NOT INVOLVE ANY POLITICAL CHANGE IN THE CIVIC STATUS OF THE JEWS OF THE WORLD. WE HAVE ALWAYS CONTENDED THAT NATIONAL DISTINCTIONS MUST NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT CIVIC EQUALITY. THE FUNCTION OF A STATE IS NOT MERELY TO TOLERATE THE PECULIAR CULTURAL LIFE OF ITS VARIOUS NATIONAL GROUPS, BUT TO FACILITATE AND GUARANTEE IT.
“THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT GOVERNMENTS DOMINATED BY HATRED OF THE JEWS WILL MAKE THE JEWISH STATE AN EXCUSE FOR THAT HATRED, ALTHOUGH ITS ORIGIN IS DIFFERENT. WE WILL HAVE THEREFORE, TO DECLARE AGAIN CLEARLY: WE ARE NOT THE CREATORS OF THE JEWISH QUESTION BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT IT EXISTS AND IT GAVE RISE TO THE SOLUTION OF ZIONISM AND A JEWISH STATE.
“TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN FORMERLY WE RAISE OUR VOICES IN THE NAME OF THE WHOLE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE COUNCIL OF NATIONS TO STIR THE LATENT FORCES IN THE JEWISH PEOPLE.”
DR. BLUMENFELD WARNED AGAINST THE ILLUSION THAT VAST REVENUES WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THE PROPOSED STATE, DECLARING: “OUR STATE IS POOR AND ONLY WITH DIFFICULTY WILL IT MANAGE TO MAINTAIN ITSELF.”
WARNS NATIONS SPURNING PALESTINE PRODUCTS
DR. F. ROTTENSTREICH, PALESTINIAN MEMBER OF THE ZIONIST EXECUTIVE, DESCRIBED THE ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES OF THE PALESTINE JEWISH COMMUNITY RESULTING FROM AN ADVERSE TRADE BALANCE. HE GAVE WARNING THAT COUNTRIES FORCING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY TO TAKE GOODS NOT ESSENTIAL TO PALESTINE’S ECONOMY WITHOUT LIBERALLY ADMITTING PALESTINIAN PRODUCTS MIGHT OBLIGE THE JEWISH COMMUNITY “NOT TO PROVIDE A MARKET” FOR THE GOODS OF THE NATIONS REFUSING PALESTINIAN PRODUCTS.
DR. ROTTENSTREICH DISCLOSED THAT 25,000 JEWISH WORKERS WERE EMPLOYED IN THE HOLY LAND’S INDUSTRIES, REPRESENTING A DECREASE OF 7,000 FROM LAST YEAR. HE SEVERELY CRITICIZED THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT FOR NOT PURCHASING PALESTINIAN PRODUCTS, ASSERTING THAT THE ADMINISTRATION EVEN WENT ABROAD FOR GOODS NOT MANUFACTURED BY GREAT BRITAIN.
DENIAL THAT THE CONGRESS RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN IMPLIED APPROVAL OF THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTITIONING PALESTINE WAS THE SUBJECT OF STATEMENTS BY DAVID BEN-GURION, LEADER OF THE DOMINANT LABORITE FACTION, AND DR. MICHAEL TRAUB, REPRESENTING A GROUP OF THE DELEGATES FROM GERMANY.
PARTITION NOT APPROVED, BEN-GURION HOLDS
IN A STATEMENT TO THE JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY, MR. BEN-GURION DECLARED:
“THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION DOES NOT IMPLY APPROVAL OF THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTITION. THE NEW EXECUTIVE WILL ENDEAVOR TO DISCOVER THE REAL INTENTIONS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND SEE IF THE PROPOSED JEWISH STATE IS FIT FOR MASS IMMIGRATION AND LARGE-SCALE SETTLEMENTS, HAS SATISFACTORY POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC FRONTIERS, AND A GUARANTEE OF SOVEREIGNTY AND INDEPENDENCE.
“THE LAST WORD WILL REMAIN WITH THE NEXT CONGRESS, PENDING WHICH THE EXECUTIVE WILL GUARD THE RIGHTS OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE UNDER THE BALFOUR DECLARATION. BEFORE A FINAL DECISION AT THE NEXT CONGRESS THE MANDATE IS THE ONLY POLITICAL AND JURIDICAL INSTRUMENT FOR REGULATING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE MANDATORY POWER (BRITAIN) AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE ON PALESTINE QUESTIONS.
“DESPITE THE GREAT POLITICAL AND TACTICAL DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AT THE CONGRESS THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT WILL EMERGE FROM THIS HISTORICAL CONGRESS STRENGTHENED AND UNITED.”
DR. TRAUS, ADDRESSING THE CONGRESS IN BEHALF OF THE GERMAN DELEGATES WHO FAVORED THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION, SHARPLY ATTACKED THE OFFICIAL KONGRESS-ZEITUNG AS WELL AS THE PALCOR NEWS AGENCY, ZIONIST NEWS SERVICE, FOR THEIR REPORTS ON THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION.
DR. TRAUB ACCUSED THE PALCOR AGENCY OF FALSELY REPORTING THE RESOLUTION AS A RESOLUTION TO FAVOR THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE. HE POINTED OUT THAT THE QUESTION OF VOTING AGAINST PARTITION WOULD NOT ARISE UNTIL THE NEXT CONGRESS, AND DEMANDED THAT THE PRESIDIUM TAKE STEPS TO CORRECT WHAT HE CALLED THE FALSE IMPRESSION CREATED BY THE PALCOR AGENCY SO THAT THE DELEGATES SUPPORTING THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION WOULD NOT BE MISUNDERSTOOD BY THEIR CONSTITUENCIES.
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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.
