Jews Have Succeeded in Palestine but England Failed, Jabotinsky’s View

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

The case for Revisionism was stated by Vladimir Jabolinsky, leader of the League of Zionist Revisionists, following his return from Palestine, in his principal address delivered before the conference of Zionist Revisionists here.

The leader of the Zionist Revisionists saw the main difficulty in the attitude of Zionist leaders toward the non Jewish world, an attitude which prevents them from pressing more vigorously for the fulfillment of the just demands of the Jews with regard to Palestine. He deprecated the mentality of the Jews brought from the Ghetto, who are in the habit of regarding non-Jews as “Goyim”, as their enemies. With such a mentality nothing can be achieved. It is time that the Jewish people began to have confidence in the “Goyim.” The “Goyim” had not produced only Hamans; they had produced also great idealists who had given their blood for the cause of humanity. It is necessary to collaborate with them amicably.

In the course of his address, Mr. Jabotinsky said that the mandatory regime in Palestine is the cause of the economic crisis in the country. It is this regime with its agrarian, industrial and political system which has failed. The Jewish people has shown itself worthy of its task. The regime established by Great Britain is not a regime for a country which is being colonized. There are restrictions in force against immigrants. Land is being sold for very high prices, forcing the imgrants to concentrate in the cities instead of engaging in agriculture. Only 12 per cent of the immigrants arc actually working on the land. Eight years have already passed since the end of the war and the land survey has not yet been made. The railway charges and the customs duties are seriously impeding the development of industry in the country.

Nor is the political regime favorable to the upbuilding of Palestine, Mr. Jabotinsky continued. There is not a single Jew among the senior officials of the Palestine Government, and a comparatively small number of Jews among the junior officials. Thus, in the district of Jaffa which includes Tel Aviv where the greater number of Jews are concentrated, only six per cent of the officials are Jews, including the junior officials. The security of the country is in the hands of a police force consisting of 300 Jews and 1,000 Arabs. The frontier is guarded by an armed force which consists of 14 Jews and 700 Arabs. During the pogroms in 1920, the Arab police took part in the massacres. The security of the Jewish Yishub is far from complete.

The statement made recently by the President of the Zionist Organization in America, to the effect that everything was well in Palestine should be officially denied, he declared. The Jews have accomplished a great deal during the last six years. Before the war the Jews owned 400,000 dunams of land; today they own three times as much. Before the War there were about 48 Jewish colonies, today there are more than a hundred. More than 10 million Sterling were invested in Palestine. The Jews have proved themselves capable in colonization work. In all her colonial experience. Great Britain has never seen such a splendid colonization achievement.

The Zionist Executive is conducting an opportunist policy, neither seeking nor being able to stand up for the just demands of the Jews. They are addressing themselves with demands, petitions and solicitations to various personages at a time when the Government of Palestine does not lie in the hands of these personages but of British public opinion. Politics today. Mr. Jaborinsky said, are democratic politics, politics of the masses, the appeal of one people to another. It is to British public opinion that an appeal should be made. Propaganda to explain to British public opinion what are the Jewish desires in Palestine should be started. When one sees it written and hears it said repeatedly that everything is all right in Palestine. British public opinion believes that the Jews are satisfied and that the people they had to consider were the Arabs. One can see how badly informed people are on Palestine matters, when one hears Colonel Wedgwood expressing astonishment at having heard so many protests during his recent visit to Palestine. He had been under the impression that the Palestinian population was enraptured with the British regime. When receptions were being given to General Storrs who in 1920 did nothing to stop the pogroms. British public opinion might well think that everybody is contented with the British Administration in Palestine. The same impression was conveyed by the numerous receptions giten to Sir Herbert Samuel, the man who laid the cornerstone of the present political regime, the cause of all the mischief, he declared.

The Philadeiphia Jewish Community will punch its annual drive for a maintenance fund for the Federation of Jewish Charities on Sunday. January 10th. The drive this year will endeaver to raise the sum of $1,000,000 and to enlist into the ranks of the Federation every young man and young woman over twenty-one.

Judge Horse Stern, President of the Federation of Jewish Charities, will deliver his annual message at a dinner to be held Sunday might at the Hotel Benjamin Franklin, launching the ten-day drive.

Association with Albert H. Lieberman, the Chairman of the Drive, are the following Vice Charment: Jacob D. Lit, Chatrntan. Dr. Cyrus. Adler. Jusim F. Allman. Samuel S. Fels, Charles Edwin Fax. Wm Gerstley. Ellis A. Gimbel, Albert M. Greenfield. Judge Willianut M. Lewis. Colonel Samuel D. Lit. Mrs. Arrhur Leeb. Mrs. Jervaue H. Loucheim. Mrs. Frank A. Placlser. Harry G. Sundheim. Louis Wolf, and Morns Wolf.