American Zionists were cleared by Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald in the House of Commons of any connection with the recent case involving eight officials of the American-supported Ben Shemen school in Palestine who were sentenced to terms ranging from three to seven years for possession of arms.
MacDonald’s statement was in reply to a question by Capt. Alan Graham, who asked why the sentences had been imposed and the extent to which American Zionists were implicated. MacDonald rejected a suggestion by Tom Williams, Labor M.P., to reduce the sentences of 105 Jews serving three to ten-year terms, pointing out that a number of the offenses had been committed after outbreak of the war. Williams’ plea was based on Jewish support of the British war effort.
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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.
