FELIX M. WARBURG, SEEKING TO AVOID A SPLIT BETWEEN ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS, URGED THE COUNCIL OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE THIS AFTERNOON TO SEEK PEACE WITH THE ARABS THROUGH A ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE BEFORE NEGOTIATIONS ARE UNDERTAKEN WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE PROPOSED PARTITION OF PALESTINE.
MR. WARBURG INDICATED THE AMERICAN NON-ZIONISTS MIGHT BE COMPELLED TO LEAVE THE AGENCY IF THE COUNCIL DECIDED ON A POLICY WHICH DID NOT PROVIDE FOR PEACEFUL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE ARABS PRIOR TO NEGOTIATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
HE MADE CLEAR THAT THIS DID NOT MEAN THE NON-ZIONISTS WOULD DISCONTINUE THEIR ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINE JEWS, BUT SAID THE METHOD OF ASSISTANCE MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME AS HITHERTO.
REJECTING THE CONTENTION OF THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION THAT PEACE WITH THE ARABS WAS IMPOSSIBLE UNDER THE PRESENT MANDATE, HE MADE AN ELOQUENT PLEA FOR AN ARAB-JEWISH ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE.
MR. WARBURG SAID HE WAS AN ADMIRER OF GREAT BRITAIN AND KNEW THAT BRITAIN’S REPUTATION FOR FAIRNESS WAS NOT ONLY WIDESPREAD BUT DESERVED. HE CAUTIONED, HOWEVER, THAT FURTHER DISCUSSION OF “A MINIATURE JEWISH STATE” WAS DANGEROUS BEFORE THE HOLDING OF A ROUND-TABLE PARLEY.
FOR SUCH A CONFERENCE, HE SAID, IT WAS NECESSARY TO MAKE CLEAR, FIRST, THAT IT TAKE PLACE IN A FORM DESCRIBED BY THE JEWISH AGENCY, AND SECOND, THAT THE AGENCY SHOULD KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES.
MR. WARBURG EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS HAD EMPOWERED THE EXECUTIVE TO BRING THE RESULTS OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN BEFORE A NEW CONGRESS.
“EVERYTHING THE EXECUTIVE BRINGS IN BELONGS HERE, IN THE JEWISH AGENCY, WHICH RULES UNTIL A JEWISH STATE IS ESTABLISHED,” HE DECLARED.
“WHATEVER YOUR DECISIONS, THE PALESTINE JEWS WILL NOT BE ABANDONED BY AMERICAN JEWRY,” MR. WARBURG ASSURED.
“EVERY PERFECTION OF THE SCHEME FOR A JEWISH STATE WILL BE MORE IRRITATION TO THE ARABS,” HE SAID. “I BEG YOU, DO NOT LET DOWN YOUR IDEALS FOR SOMETHING THAT ONLY SEEMS LIKE A STATE.”
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.
