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Report Magnes Negotiated with Arab Leaders on Round-table Conference

August 24, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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DR. JUDAH L. MAGNES, PRESIDENT OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY, NEGOTIATED WITH THE ARAB DELEGATION AT GENEVA REGARDING CONVOCATION OF AN ARAB-JEWISH ROUND-TABLE CONFERENCE TO SEEK A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF DIFFICULTIES IN PALESTINE, DAVAR, HEBREW DAILY, REPORTED TODAY.

ACCORDING TO DAVAR, THE ARABS STIPULATED AS A CONDITION FOR NEGOTIATIONS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ARAB NATIONAL GOVERNMENT IN PALESTINE WITH SAFEGUARDS FOR JEWISH MINORITY RIGHTS, AND STOPPAGE OF JEWISH IMMIGRATION AND LAND PURCHASES.

DR. MAGNES, THE PAPER SAID, OFFERED AS A COUNTER-PROPOSAL A BI-NATIONAL STATE WITH LIMITATION OF JEWISH IMMIGRATION AND PROMISED THAT AMERICAN NON-ZIONIST MEMBERS WOULD SEEK TO OBTAIN THE CONSENT OF THE ZIONISTS IN THE JEWISH AGENCY TO THIS ARRANGEMENT.

THE ARABS, HOWEVER, ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE REJECTED THIS OFFER, DAVAR SAID. ACCORDING TO AN APPARENTLY CONFLICTING STORY ALSO PUBLISHED BY DAVAR, PALESTINIAN ARAB LEADERS WERE MUCH PERTURBED OVER REPORTS THAT THEIR DELEGATION AT GENEVA HAD CONSENTED TO THE HOLDING OF THE ROUND-TABLE. HOWEVER, ARAB DELEGATES RETURNING FROM SWITZERLAND ASSURED THE ARAB SUPREME COMMITTEE, DAVAR SAID, THAT THERE WAS NO REASON TO OPPOSE THE MEETING, SINCE IT WAS NO MORE THAN A TACTICAL MOVE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADVICE OF FRIENDS OF THE ARABS IN LONDON AND GENEVA, TO UNDERMINE THE PARTITION PROPOSAL AND SPLIT THE ZIONISTS.

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