THE COUNCIL OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE HAD BEFORE IT TODAY A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES TO CONSIDER THE BEST METHODS OF ESTABLISHING AN ARAB-JEWISH BI-NATIONAL STATE IN AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE.
THE RESOLUTION WAS INTRODUCED IN THE NAME OF A GROUP OF NON-ZIONISTS BY DR. JUDAH L. MAGNES, PRESIDENT OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY IN JERUSALEM, WHO WARNED THAT CREATION OF A JEWISH STATE WITHOUT THE PRIOR CONSENT OF THE ARABS WOULD LEAD TO AN ARAB-JEWISH WAR.
DR. MAGNES’ RESOLUTION SAID THAT THE JEWISH AGENCY, BEING RECOGNIZED BY THE MANDATOR POWER (GREAT BRITAIN) AS THE APPROPRIATE PARTY TO NEGOTIATE ON PALESTINE, SHOULD APPOINT A COMMITTEE COMPRISING ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS IN EQUAL NUMBER TO CONDUCT THE PARLEYS.
THE RESOLUTION WAS CONSIDERED AS THE COUNCIL, WHICH IS DIVIDED EQUALLY IN MEMBER SHIP BETWEEN ZIONISTS AND NON-ZIONISTS, ENTERED THE SECOND DAY OF ITS FIFTH BIENNIAL MEETING, FACED WITH THE PROBLEM OF PASSING ON THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN REGARDING ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN PALESTINE.
DR. MAGNES WARNED THAT THE CREATION OF SUCH A STATE WITHOUT ARAB CONSENT WOULD CREATE A POWERFUL ARAB IRREDENTISM IN THE JEWISH STATE WHICH WOULD LEAD TO AN ARAB-JEWISH WAR.
“I DO NOT HAVE HESITATION IN SAYING I AM AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF A JEWISH STATE AFRAID FOR MY PEOPLE, “HE DECLARED. “I DO NOT WANT TO SEE A JEWISH STATE BORN AND CONCEIVED IN WARFARE.”
THE JEWISH STATE, HE MAINTAINED, WOULD NOT SOLVE THE JEWISH PROBLEM IN POLAND AND RUMANIA AND WOULD STIMULATE FALSE HOPES AMONG THE JEWS.
PEACE EFFORTS FRUITLESS, WEIZMANN STATES
DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, AGENCY PRESIDENT, WHO AT THE OPENING SESSION HAD INDICATED THERE WOULD BE NO RETREAT FROM THE ZIONIST STAND ON NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRITAIN, RETURNED TO THE PODIUM IN THE EVENING TO RESTATE HIS VIEWS AND TO REPLY TO THE NON-ZIONIST SPEAKERS.
EFFORTS TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE ARABS, HE SAID, HAD BEEN FRUITLESS. HE QUOTED PROMINENT ARAB LEADERS AS HAVING DECLARED AT GENEVA RECENTLY THAT EVEN THE “PALLIATIVES” SUGGESTED BY THE ROYAL COMMISSION AS ALTERNATIVE TO PARTITION WERE NOT AGREEABLE. THEY REFUSE THE ZIONIST LEADER ASSERTED, TO SHARE PALESTINE WITH ANYONE.
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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.
