The General Council of the World Zionist Organization went on record today in opposition to proposals to partition Palestine between Arabs and Jews and decided to convoke the twentieth biennial World Zionist Congress on August 3 in Switzerland.
While no city was city named for the congress, unofficial reports indicated Basle would be chosen.
The General Council, ranking Zionist body between congress sessions, decided to continue its Palestine subcommittee in existence until the congress. It also approved the establishment of a small administrative committee of the Jewish Agency for Palestine in Jerusalem, as decided at a recent plenary session of administrative committee in London.
In a resolution adopted by a unanimous vote, the council expressed opposition to any plan which would limit Jewish rights in Palestine, naming among such plans the proposal for dividing Palestine, which, reports say, is under consideration by the British Royal Commission of Inquiry.
The resolution condemned every attempt to diminish the rights, possibilities and geographical limits of the Jewish national home, every attempt to deviate from the principle of economic absorptive capacity in determining immigration, any prohibition of land sales, every attempt to shrink the territory by partition, cantonization or otherwise.
“Jewish distress in many countries of the Diaspora urgently demands the acceleration of Palestine upbuilding and enlarged colonization,” the resolution maintained. It emphasized Great Britain’s “clear obligations under the Mandate.”
It continued by declaring Britain had recognized the Jews’ historical rights in the Holy Land, calling attention to the prosperity brought by the Jews to Palestine and contending that one of the causes of recent Arab disturbances was the Palestine Government’s “hesitating policy.”
The willingness of the Jews to live in peace and harmony with the Arabs, as expressed in a resolution adopted by the Zionist Congress in 1935, was reiterated.
The council, which has been in session since April 20, also discussed problems of colonization and organization of joint employment bureaus.
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