DEMANDS OF THE JEWS

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 May 1947, Page 5

DEMANDS OF THE JEWS

ENTRY TO PALESTINE CASE PUT TO THE UNITED NATIONS ASSEMBLY New York, May 8. Removal of the barriers against tile establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine, and immediate relaxation of the British restrictions on Jewish immigration io the Holy Land were demanded by the Jewish Agency spokesman, Dr. A bi,a Hilled Silver, before the Political Committee of the United Nations Assembly to-day.

Dr. Silver claimed that. Britain had violated the terms oi her mandate. He said that the establishment o£ a Jewish homeland would have stimulated tile rebirth and progress ot the entire Middle East. The Jewish Agency had not in mind any racial or theoretic State, but one based on full equality and rights for all inhabitants, without religious or racial distinctions and without domination or subjugation. The proposed United Nations inquiry commission should require Britain to give an account of her Palestine stewardship and should inquire why some members of a peaceloving community were being driven to deplorable actions. The commission should also visit Europe's displaced persons' camps. Dr. Silver finally urged that the Jewish people should be admitted to the United Nations.

lie emphasised that-the Jews did not criticise or condemn lhe British people. On the contrary, they had the Highest regard and admiration for the monumental contribution of the British people to democratic civilisation, and would never forgot that it was the British who had first recognised the Jews' natural aspirations. It was only the wrong and unjustifiable policy which had tended to defeat the far-visioned statesmanship o£ earlier years that the Jews condemned. Sir Alexander Cadogan assured Dr. Silver of the British Governments willingness to give an account of its stewardship to the investigating com mission.

Other delegates asked Dr. Silver many questions, which he promised to answer later.

Asaf Ali (India) asked why German Jews could not be re-scttlcd in Germany, since the Hitler regime iad been suppressed, and why British civil servants who were doing duty in Palestine under extremely difficult conditions were being subjected to violence.