Sir James Grigg, British Secretary of War, announced in Parliament today that he may receive a delegation to discuss the demand for a Jewish Army in the Near East, but indicated that the British Government remains opposed to the creation of such an army.
“For reasons already given, His Majesty’s Government did not fid it practicable to form a Jewish Army,” he said. “In the last few days the Colonial Secretary telegraphed to the High Commissioner of Palestine urging him to accelerate the arming and training of police formations there as well as the extension of the part-time police units.”
Sir James made this statement in reply to queries by members of the Parliament as to why a Jewish Army is not being formed by the British military authorities in the Near East to participate in the battle to check the Nazi offense in Egypt. The members also wanted to know why Jews are not permitted to organize into a Home Guard in Palestine along the same lines as this has been done in England.
Declaring that more than 10,000 Palestine Jews are now serving in formations which perform functions analogous to the Home Guard in Britain, the Secretary of War added that he is certain that there is no truth in the reports that Palestine Jews who are willing to serve are not being accepted. “Already a large number of Jews are serving,” he said.
Zionist circles here interpreted the statements of the Secretary of War as a reaffirmation of the Government’s categorical refusal to permit the establishment of a Jewish Army in Palestine. At the same time, they expressed the opinion that his replies to the members of the Parliament indicate the possibility of granting a distinguishing badge to Palestine Jews serving with the British Forces.
A group of M.P.s today published an open letter in the London Times demanding the immediate formation of a Jewish Army in Palestine for the defense of the country. They also demand that the Palestine settlement police be expanded into a properly trained and equipped Home Guard of at least 50,000 men. “If the Axis gets even a temporary hold on Palestine, it will spell annihilation for the Jews. May the day never come when it can be said that we, unable be defend the Holy Land, have withheld from the Jews their means of doing so,” the letter says.
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.
