BRITISH ZIONISTS AND PALESTINE
SIR,—Jewish immigration into Palestine is nut and never has been free and unrestricted. It has always been subject to what the Government consider to be the economic absorptive capacity of the country, in addition to which a " political high level " is also applied. The immigration quota allowed every six months has to be apportioned oy the Jewish Agency Executive among the Jews of many countries according to the degree of political oppression and economic distress prevailing in them, and in these circumstances it was inevitable that England was always very low down in the list. There are at present 2,500 applications for immigration certificates for Palestine registered at the Jewish Agency Office in London, some of which date back to 1937. A number of persons obtained certificates in 1940, and as they were unable to use them during the war, owing to the lack of shipping facilities, the certifi- cates expired in 1944, and the Government has declined to renew them. In consequence of these facts, many Jews have refrained from applying for certificates, as they believe that it would be useless
It must also be borne in mind that the development of the Jewish National Home requires for its success not only a continuous supply of man-power, but also all the moral, material, and political support that can be given by Jews throughout the world. In this respect the Zionists in Great Britain have always rendered very valuable service.
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