Political report of the Executive of the Jewish Agency submitted to the ... Zionist Congress and the ... session of the Council of the Jewish Agency · 1937-08-01 · 8.1937 · p. Seite 13

13 volving a grave departure from the underlying conceptions of the Mandate. Palestine is the concern of the Jewish people as a whole, not of the present Palestinian population alone. Moreover, to entrust legislative power, in whatever measure, to those who openly reject and defy the Mandate and more particularly the establishment of the Jewish National Home, must inevitably undermine the Mandatory regime. I regret, therefore, to have to state — much as we are anxious to maintain the closest possible cooperation with the Mandatory Government — that the Jews will be unable to cooperate in the Legislative Council.' Dr. Weizmann added that he had always laboured to maintain cooperation between His Majesty's Government, and the Jewish people which he regarded as a cornerstone of Zionist policy — a view which was shared by his colleagues of the Executive. Apart from the Legislative Council, it would be the earnest endeavour of the Jewish Agency to continue this cooperation. They had to oppose the Legislative Council scheme because they regarded it as untimely, dangerous and likely to increase the plane of friction between the Arabs and the Jews. Time and again they had stretched out a hand of peace to the Arabs, but their offers had been rejected. The Legislative Council could only help the Arabs to hinder Jewish progress. 13. Mr. Ben Zvi, on behalf of the Vaad Leumi, and Mr. Elmaleh, on behalf of the Sefardi community represented on the Vaad Leumi, associated themselves with the statement made by Dr. Weizmann. Rabbi Blau, on behalf of the Agudath Israel, made a statement, in the course of which he said that while the Agudah did not under-estimate the importance of the grant of powers of self government to the inhabitants of Palestine, they considered that the moment was not yet ripe for such a constitutional reform. To their regret the efforts of the Government and of the Jews had not yet succeeded in convincing the Arabs of the benefits which Jewish settlement had conferred on Palestine as a whole. Hatred had continued to be sown and there was little doubt that it would bear fruit in the Legislative Council. The majority of its elected members would strive to bring about the enactment of laws hampering the progress of the Jewish efforts. The recent events in Jenin and Haifa * could not be regarded as a sign of the maturity * The reference was to the terrorist activities of an Arab band which had operated near Jenin and to the demonstration at the funeral of its leader at Haifa.