Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 441

before the Executive in London and assist in enlightening political circles there on the nature of the apparent paradox that just at the very time when Jewish immigration into Palestine was rapidly increasing the protest against the immigration policy of the Government was growing loudest. Meanwhile the situation in Palestine was further aggravated by the harsh measures adopted by the authorities in tracing illegal Jewish residents, a subject to which further reference will be made. On December 9th, 1933, meetings of protest against the inadequacy of labour immigration were held throughout Palestine under the auspices of the Vaad Leumi and the communities. One of these meetings at Tel-Aviv, for which the Revisionist Organisation was responsible, resulted in a street demonstration held in defiance of the Vaad Leumi's warning, which led to a serious clash with the police. A number of constables and officers, Jews and non-Jews, were badly injured. The Executive issued a statement declaring that " the resentment caused by the measures against Jewish tourists could on no account justify the use of violence against policemen performing their duty " and condemning the excesses as " unworthy of a civilised community." 10. The situation in the labour market, which was growing steadily worse, was only slightly alleviated by the advance on the next schedule, which was obtained towards the end of the period. The schedule of 5600 granted in April, 1934, was again a cause of profound resentment. For the second time the Executive found itself constrained to issue a public statement, dated May 9th, 1934, which set forth in greater detail its views on the economic situation and justified on the basis of facts its own estimate of the absorptive capacity of the country. The statement stressed the fact that while economic activity was expanding and the total volume of immigration growing, labour immigration had remained stationary and appeared to be stabilised at a figure far below the barest requirements; the last three schedules granted had been 5,500 in April, 1933, 5,500 in October, 1933, and again 5,600 in April, 1934. The Executive joined issue with the Government on the interpretation of the absorptive capacity formula. It expressed its inability to discover any justification for a policy which was cramping present development out of fear that a crisis might occur in the future. It declared that at a time of unprecedented distress among large masses of the Jewish people, when their need of finding a home in Palestine was more urgent than ever before, the Jewish Agency had to insist on the Government's duty to allow Jewish immigration to the full extent of the absorptive capacity of which Palestine had shown itself capable. To its regret it observed in the new schedule a striking evidence of the Mandatory Government's failure to discharge this fundamental obligation. News of this schedule gave rise to a wave of protest among the Jewish population of Palestine and the Jewish people the world over. The Vaad Leumi, acting in co-operation with the Agudath Israel and the local Jewish communities, proclaimed a half-day 441