The groups responsible for the assassination of Lord Moyne and for the recurrent terror in Palestine must be hunted down ruthlessly, but the entire Jewish community must not be held responsible for the outrages, it is stated today in influential sections of the British press.
The Manchester Guardian, liberal daily which has been consistently pro-Zionist, carries an editorial in which it states that just prior to his death, Lord Moyne had recommended to the government that the whole Palestine problem be taken up immediately with President Roosevelt. The editorial emphasizes that “it would be unjust to condemn a nation for the acts of a few individuals, but it would be unwise to ignore the fever of which this is a symptom. The fact must be faced that the government policy in Palestine, and the way in which this policy has been carried out by the Palestine Administration has caused deep resentment among Jews.
“These bands,” the editorial continues, “must be hunted down ruthlessly with the help of the Jewish Agency, but, at the same time, the government must take up once again the whole Palestine problem in consultation, we hope, with President Roosevelt. The United States has been displaying great interest in the question. The opening of Palestine to Jewish immigration and the establishment of a Commonwealth was a common plank of both party platforms during the elections. This is a matter of urgency; we cannot afford to stand still.”
The London Times, which is often a spokesman for the Foreign Office, writes. “At this juncture, the ministers rightly look for unconditional Jewish aid and leadership, which is required in Palestine not only for repudiation of the activities of terrorists, but their final eradication.” Referring to the promises of cooperation made by Jewish leaders, it continues. “If the menace to the Jewish name, and indeed to the Zionist movement itself, is to be averted, the rank and file must follow the lead given. Palestine, or any national cause, cannot prosper while it is compromised by the use of criminal violence. Under such conditions there cannot be any condonation of these sinister deeds by pleading the White Paper or other manifestations of official policy, or impolicy. Jews have been the principal victims of the Nazi doctrine of violence, and as such have won eager sympathy throughout the world, which can be lost this day, or at least contaminated, by these villanies.”
The New Statesman and Nation, liberal weekly, stressing that the activities of the terrorists are viewed with abhorrence by the bulk of Palestine Jewry, adds: “This deplorable incident should serve to induce the government to state the explicit terms of what Palestine partition they intend to enforce, and then enforce it against these Jewish fanatics, as well as against Arab killers whose toll of murders is far greater than the Jewish. Palestine is drifting into a Sinn Fein (Irish resistance group) situation.”
Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz, calling the crime “detestable,” issued a statement today urging men of goodwill not to condemn “an entire group for the loathsome infamies of a few outcasts.”
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.
