Postponement of the proposed legislative council for Palestine was today urged upon Colonial Secretary J. H. Thomas by Lord Melchett, British-Jewish leader, speaking in the name of a joint group representing the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Reconsideration of the Government proposals was asked by Lord Melchett on the grounds that the contemplated step was “fraught with grave dangers to the peaceful progress of Palestine and its people.”
Lord Melchett’s request was made in reply to Mr. Thomas, who yesterday, answering representations made on January 31, declared that Jewish opinion was unnecessarily apprehensive about the proposed council. The council proposals, the Colonial Secretary stated, were made in the general interests of Palestine and even if there were grounds for regarding its introduction as a disturbing factor, delay would be more likely to create widespread mistrust.
Mr. Thomas, taking cognizance of charges that the mandate would be violated by the establishment of a council, declared that “the mandate is absolutely safe.”
“There is nothing in the scheme for a legislative council,” he declared, “which will interfere with or prejudice in any way the discharge of the mandatory obligations of His Majesty’s Government.”
Mr. Thomas denied that the proposals for a legislative council which were made in 1922 contained suggestions that the Jewish people outside of Palestine be represented.
The Government, Mr. Thomas also stated, has no intention of superceding the relations of the Jewish Agency with the Palestine Government.
Answering Mr. Thomas today, Lord Melchett, while noting with satisfaction his reassurances on the mandate and the Jewish Agency’s relations to the Palestine Government, declared he nevertheless found it difficult to see how the Agency’s advisory and cooperative functions can fail to be gravely affected if authority is transferred from the administration to a council half of whose members are antagonistic to a Jewish national home.
If the Jewish national home is to have real meaning, Lord Melchett declared, the character of Palestine Jewry’s national entity must receive full constitutional recognition so that the Palestine Jewish population may not be reduced to the status of a communal minority.
Regarding acceptance by the Jews of the legislative council proposals made in 1922, Lord Melchett emphasized that it was made with great reluctance and under considerable pressure. He pointed out, however, that today the situation was different since the hopes of Arab-Jewish cooperation had not been realized as far as political leaders of the Arab parties were concerned.
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.
