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British Publisher Proposes Jewish State in North Africa

June 12, 1941
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The suggestion that a Jewish state be established in Cyrenaica, the larger part of Libya, Eritrea or Abyssinia is made by Edward Houlton, owner of a well-known chain of periodicals, in an article in World Review.

Stressing the difficulty of a solution in Palestine, Houlton declares: “The Government might give an undertaking to provide Jewish victims of persecution with a country large enough to be developed into a Jewish country of five or more millions and take the lead in its organization and development, on condition the White Paper be accepted in full.

“Cyrenaica or the larger part of Libya could properly be developed to hold millions on the shore of the very Mediterranean from which the Jews sprang. The highlands of Eritrea are also healthy and attractive.” As an alternative he suggests Abyssinia, where “Jewish enterprise would form a valuable constituent of international help” to Haile Selassie.

Houlton states that a Jewish state should be closely connected with the spiritual homestead in Palestine, where immigration could be almost stopped, while the new territory, after a period under mandate, would become a dominion or an independent state with treaty obligations, like Iraq and Egypt.

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