867N.01/4–2248: Telegram
The Consul at Jerusalem (Wasson) to the Secretary of State
468. Following is text of declaration adopted by General Zionist Council in Tel Aviv April 12:1
“We have decided, relying on the authority of the Zionist movement and the support of the entire Jewish people, that upon the termination of the mandatory regime there shall be an end of foreign rule in Palestine, and that the governing body of the Jewish state shall come into being.
“The state which the Jewish people will set up in its own country will guarantee justice, freedom and equality for all its inhabitants [Page 843] regardless of religion, race, sex, or land of origin. It is our aim to make it a state in which the exiles of our people are gathered together, in which happiness and knowledge shall prevail and the vision of the prophets of Israel shall illumine our path.
“At this hour, when bloodshed and strife have been forced upon us, we turn to the Arabs in the Jewish state and to our neighbours in adjacent territories with an appeal for brotherhood, cooperation and peace. We are a peaceful people, and we are here to build in peace. Let us then build our state together, as equal citizens with equal rights and obligations, with mutual trust and respect, each with a true understanding of the others needs.
“Our lives are dedicated to defending the liberty of our people. If further trials and battles are in store for us, we shall defend with all our might the achievement upon which we place our hopes.
“Right is on our side. With us are the hopes of the past generations of our people. With us is the conscience of the world. With us are deposited the testament of the millions of our martyred dead and the resolute will to live of the millions who have survived. The sanctity of our martyrs and heroes reste upon us, and the God of our Fathers will help us.”
- The Department, citing press reports of April 13, had requested the text of this declaration (telegram 265, April 13, 6 p. m., to Jerusalem, 501.BB Palestine/4–1348).↩