Billion-dollar Palestine Canal Urged As Substitute for Suez

PLANS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A $900,000,000 CANAL THROUGH PALESTINE–WHICH WOULD BE THE LONGEST ARTIFICIAL WATERWAY IN THE WORLD–HAVE BEEN DRAWN UP BY DR. A. WERBER, ENGINEER OF THE HULEH CONCESSION, WHO PROPOSES THAT BRITAIN BUILD IT AS A SUBSTITUTE LINK FOR THE SUEZ CANAL IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE LIFELINE.

THE CANAL, DR. WERBER TOLD THE J.T.A., WOULD BE 250 MILES LONG, FROM HAIFA ON THE MEDITERRANEAN TO AKABA ON THE RED SEA, EXTENDING THROUGH THE JEZEEL VALLEY TO THE JORDAN VALLEY, THEN SOUTHWARD PARALLEL TO THE JORDAN RIVER, SKIRTING THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE RED SEA AND SOUTHWARD DOWN THE WADI ARABA TO AKABA.

THE CANAL WOULD BE AS WIDE AND DEEP AS SUEZ, BUILT AT SEA LEVEL FROM HAIFA TO A POINT ABOUT-TWO-THIRDS OF THE DISTANCE DOWN THE DEAD SEA, WHERE A SERIES OF LOCKS WOULD RAISE IT 650 FEET TO PASS THROUGH THE HILLS OF THE NEGEB. ANOTHER SERIES OF LOCKS WOULD BRING IT DOWN TO SEA LEVEL AGAIN NORTH OF AKABA.

SEVEN HUNDRED DELEGATES TO AN EMERGENCY CONVENTION CALLED BY THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS LAST NIGHT URGED A UNITED FRONT WITH CHRISTIANITY AGAINST JEWISH OPPRESSION “THROUGH THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF WHICH THE PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION WILL BE ADVANCED.”

OTHER RESOLUTIONS WERE ADOPTED ASKING THE WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS TO SUMMON A MEETING OF ITS COUNCIL NOT LATER THAN THE SUMMER OF 1938, ASKING THE WORLD CONGRESS TO TAKE “APPROPRIATE STEPS TO PRESENT A RECORD OF VIOLATIONS OF TREATY GUARANTEES TO THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND TO DEMAND LEAGUE ACTION TO BRING ABOUT A RESTORATION OF JEWISH RIGHTS AND LEAGUE PROTECTION AGAINST FUTURE VIOLATION,” ASKING THAT PALESTINE BE OPENED TO AS LARGE A JEWISH IMMIGRATION AS CAN BE ABSORBED AND ASKING CESSATION OF OPPRESSION OF POLISH AND RUMANIAN JEWS, AND INTENSIFICATION OF THE ANTI-NAZI BOYCOTT BY ALL AMERICANS.