Evening star., 1944-03-16
Letters to The Star
Political Zionism' Criticized
by Student of Holy Land.
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
In the face of the possible passage
Of the Wagner-Taft Zionist bill there is
moral compulsion upon those of US
who have firsthand knowledge of the
situation in the Holy Land to speak
out frankly upon the indubtable facts
Of the case
AS neWSpaperman, I have been
studying Zionism on the scene since
1910, having made 10 lengthy Sojourns
in the Land. l have interviewed the
Zionist and Arab" leaders and visited
the colonies $50 of which are completely
and avowedly Communist and gone
into the subject in every way possible
to an earnest reporter.
According to Zionist reports. there
now are about 100000 Jews in Palestine:
the same authorities quote the number
of Arabs" resident in the Land as
about 100000
AS to the absorptive capacity of the
Land, only the most reckless Zionists
put it as high as 100000; 100000 is
the limit generally set by resident Brit
1sh and Americans How can the
100000 Jews in the world find a
homeland" in this little stretch of
largely arid territory?
These background facts emerge. de-
spite all the exaggerated claims of the
ZioniStS:
The Arabs" are, not Arabs-Bedouin
at all, but the Arabic-speaking de-
scendents of the earliest inhabitants of
Canaan. They were there long before
Abraham arrived and Joshua failed to
drive them out. They have been there
ever since and are today a two to- one
majority of the population.
Among these Arabs" today are
100000 Christians, descendants of the
members of the original Apostolic
Church, who throughout the dark CEN
turies, have kept the cross uplifted in its
homeland. The Christians today make
common cause with the Moslems.
In the early part of this century. at
the time of my first visit to Palestine,
there were about 10000 Jews in the
Land, drawn thither by religious mo-
tives. They got along amicably with
the natives. But Zionism is not re-
ligious; I never saw Zionist colony
that had synagogue. Even Tel Aviv
delayed building one until forced by
Orthodox sentiment
On religious basis the two peoples
oSoAii AiA6Aie 1IlIO dlllty. DuL LlOHlSIn
clamors for an exclusively Jewish state.
with the Arab" driven into the desert.
Against that violation of all principles
OF democracy and fair play the sur
rounding Moslems, numbering possibly
l00,O0O,0OO persons, have organized in
united resistance. There are the max
1ngs of bloody times ahead and inter-
national complications of the greatest
sort. At present, the relations between
the Arabs" and the Zionists are deadly
bitter, extending far beyond complete
nonco-operation
There are comparatively few Amer
lean Jews in Palestine, although it is
the stupendous flow of American money
that has made Zionism possible Pal
estine is regarded by European Jews as
a favorable jumping-of place to Amer
lea. Our Consulate in Jerusalem has
had to erect special building to care
for the throngs of seekers after visas
who daily crowd the grounds.
That America should intrude con-
gressional action into this problem is
regarded as most regrettable by those
Americans who best know the situation
In Palestine-especially as the action
results largely from misinformation
supplied by the powerful Zionist propa-
ganda and from political motives. The
first consequence is grave impairment
of the friendliness of the Near Eastern
peoples toward America-an important
part of the reservoir of good will"
which Mr.. Willkie stressed Nor do we
want to embarrass further our British
allies by uncalled-for intrusion of ad-
vice in a matter which is really no
concern of ours.
Many of the wisest Jews in America
join with those of us who faithfully
strive to promote interracial tolerance
and good will in looking upon political
zionism as force nullifying our efforts
in behalf of justice for all the Jews of
America and the world.
WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
SWarthmOre Pa