Montana labor news., 1937-08-19
BRITISH PLAN HIT
BY 4. F. OF |. HEAD
Continued from Page y

alike, is a sacred land, land of re-
ligious interest and of Divine prom
Use. To us all, it truly is a Holy
Land. Therefore anything that af-
fects it affects us all.
Wrested from Turks
When America entered the World
War on the side of the Allied Powers,
| it was glad to shed the life-blood of
its youth and spend billions of dol
lars to contribute toward victory, be-
cause it believed that the outcome of
this conflict would bring liberation
|of oppressed peoples and establish
justice, freedom and goodwill among
mankind
Americas entry into the World
War made it possible for the Allies
to wrest Palestine from Turkish
domination after centuries of mis-
rule. And America was glad to con-
sent to Great Britain's solicitation
for a Mandate over Palestine, be-
cause of her assurance, through her
now famous yet sadly discredited
Balfour Declaration, that she would
administer Palestine as a National
Home for the Jews of the world.
Home for World Jewry
The Palestine Mandate was not
given to Great Britain for the pur-
pose of letting her partition the
country. That Mandate was con-
ferred on her because of her promise
to World Jewry, which of all people
have suffered greatest at the hands
of Gentiles of many lands.
The Jews have poured into Pales-
tine their man-power and over hali
a billion dollars in improvements
during the past fifteen years. They
have bought up arid land or malaria
infested swamps, drained, irrigated,
scientifically cultivated it and in
creased its productivity many times
Partitioning Is InexcusabIe
Now, instead of permitting Pales-
tine to become a haven of refuge
for the oppressed Jews of Poland,
Germany, Rumania and elsewhere,
Great Britain proposes to limit the
Jews to a small territory scarcely
large enough for those who already
have settled there and prevent the
prosecuted Jews of other lands to
come there and settle.
In defense of this inexcusable act
Of political surgery" in violation OF
the clear terms stipulated in the
Mandate for Palestine, Great Britain
raises the false claim that Palestine
is an Arab land" This claim is
without merit, for Palestine never
belonged to the Arabs but to Turkey,
from which it was wrested by the
Allied Powers during the World War,
but even if there were the slightest
merit to this claim it was more than
settled with the Arabs who, as a
consequence of the peace settlement
after the war, now rule over an area
of million and half square miles
Violated Mandate in 1922
Moreover, in 1922 Great Britain,
committing her first violation Of the
Palestine Mandate, split Palestine al
the Jordan River and gave to the
Arabs exclusive control over 10000
square miles of choice land east Of
the river and limited the Jews to the
10000 square miles west of the river
Now, in further and more flagrant
violation of the Mandate, Great Bri-
tain would limit the Jews to less
than one-third of the tillable land
east of the river as well and allow q
few hundred thousand Arabs to con
tinue in undisputed possession of the
remainder of the country on both
sides of the Jordan River.
Tragedy for Prosecuted Jews
This limitation of Jewish settle
ment in Palestine not only is trag-
edy for the persecuted Jews of the
world who can find no other haver
of refuge but is also an unprecedent-
ed breach of faith towards the ma.
ed Great Britain with the guardian.
tions of the world who have entrust
ship Of Palestine under an explicit
covenant guaranteeing the upbuild
ing Of Palestine as a Jewish Nationa
Home.
We protest against this gross mis-
carriage Of international justice
against this open violation of ar
international obligation which Grea
Britain owes not only to the jew
but also to the civilized nations o.
the world, including our own United
States
'Travesty of an International Pledge
The American Federation of Labor
which for past decades lent its un
stinted support to the cause of al
oppressed and therefore gave it.
moral endorsement to the Jewish
National Home cause, appeals nov
to all Americans to protest agains
this travesty of an internationa
pledge because it is inhuman ant
unjust.
1t is an act of cruel persecution
against millions of helpless human
beings abroad whose sole means o.
escape is settlement in the land tina
once belonged to their forefathers