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]

LONDON POLITICAL REPORT. The work of the London Political Department since the last Congress falls into three main sections. The first period extends from September 1935 to April 1936. when attention was focussed principally on the Legislative Council issue, and also — though so far as public interest was concerned, to a less degree — on the Government's projected restrictions on the sale of land. The second period covers the disturbances of April to October, 1936; the concluding period is taken up mainly by the enquiry of the Royal Commission, and the work involved in connection with it. I. Legislative Council: Following on the meeting of the Congress and Council in Lucerne in August — September, 1935, the resolutions there adopted were transmitted to the Colonial Office, and in the course of a subsequent interview with the Colonial Secretary, Jewish objections to the Legislative Council proposals were reiterated, and stress was laid on the unanimity of opinion manifested in this regard at Lucerne. A period of very considerable political activity ensued; many influential persons were interviewed, articles were published, a pamphlet was issued, and Jewish communities throughoTit the world convened meetings at which resolutions were adopted in opposition to the Council proposal. To all of this, however, the Government returned the reply that it was committed to the scheme, and would have to proceed with it, and in December, 1935, the High Commissioner announced to representatives of Jews and Arabs in Palestine the composition and functions of the proposed Council. Dr. Weizmann, in his statement in reply, made clear the inability of the Jews to co-operate in such a Council, and the grounds on which their opposition was based. In January. 1936, following on a specially convened and largely attended Conference of all sections of Anglo- Jewry, at which the late Mr. Sokoiow was one of the principal speakers, a representative dequtation, headed by Lord Melchett and Mr. Neville Laski, K.C., waited on the Colonial Secretary and expressed to him the anxiety felt by British Jewry in regard to the Government's proposals. The first opportunity for a discussion of the matter in Parliament arose on the motion of Lord Snell in the House of Lords on February 26, 1936. The Debate was distinguished by the unanimity of opinion against the Legislative Council which characterised the speeches of members of all parties in the House. The strongly critical spirit of the Debate in the House of Lords, however, was no less marked in the Debate