Poland and Rumania yesterday joined the Mandates Commission in deploring British restrictions on Jewish immigration to Palestine before the League of Nations Council, drawing from Britain a defense of the entry curbs.
Heated discussion followed a statement by Foreign Undersecretary Richard A. Butler of Britain, in which he reiterated Britain’s belief that partition was the best solution of the Palestine question, and ended in the adoption of a resolution in which the Council took note of circumstances referred to by Mr. Butler leading to temporary restriction of immigration and associated itself with wishes for improvement of the Palestine situation.
Mr. Butler declared in his statement that Britain’s Palestine Partition Commission had now returned to the united kingdom, and “will not lose time in preparing a report in the light of which his majesty’s Government may be able to reach a final decision. Meanwhile, the British Government remain of the opinion that partition offers in principle the best and most hopeful solution of the problem.”
He stated that the British Government was alive to the harmfulness of the state of uncertainty and would do all in its power to expedite a decision. Dealing with terrorism, “which has persisted in varying degrees of intensity since the Summer of 1937,” he said that the task of combating disorders was not likely to be accomplished before a final decision on the main issue of policy.
He objected to the contention that restriction of immigration constituted partial suspension of the Palestine mandate, declaring that such a contention represented a different interpretation of the mandate than Britain’s.
Prof. William E. Rappard of Switzerland, vice-chairman of the Mandates Commission, speaking in the name of all its members, insisted that immigration restrictions were contrary to the mandate. The representative of Iran asked that attention be paid to the interests of the Arabs in a solution of the Palestine problem.
Dr. Titus Komarnicki of Poland stated that the Polish Government was highly interested in the Palestine problem since the majority of the Palestine Jews, as well as those desiring to go to Palestine, were Poles. He expressed hope that the Mandatory Power would soon abolish the restrictions and enable a large immigration.
Foreign Minister Nicolas Petrescu-Comnen of Rumania stated that while the Rumanian Government reserved the right to submit a plan to solve the problem of Jewish migration in a humanitarian and rational way, it regarded Palestine as of extreme importance. Rumania, he said, was greatly distressed about immigration restrictions and hoped that they would be abolished soon.
Replying to the criticism, Mr. Butler reiterated Britain’s contention that the mandate did not deprive the Government of the right to introduce temporary immigration restrictions. The discussion was received by Jewish circles with great satisfaction.
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.
