August 25 1922 – 1 Elul 5682
In the Czech city of Karlsbad, the Zionist Organization debated its response to the first British White Paper, issued by Winston Churchill, which limited Zionist immigration to British Mandate Palestine. Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Zionist Organization, took a moderate stance, hoping that the British were taking a gradual approach to fulfilling their commitments of the Balfour Declaration, rather than repudiating it altogether, as others suspected. Weizmann expressed hopes that if the Zionist Organization could succeed in raising the necessary funds for successful integration of Jewish immigrants in their ancestral homeland, the British wouldn’t stand in their way.
The president also pointed out that Herzl had never related in any serious way to the question of the Arab population of the Holy Land, as they’d never openly aspired to nationalist ambitions until after the defeat of the Ottoman empire. That had now changed; Zionist attempts to meet with Arab representatives in London had come up against a blank wall, but Weizmann believed that further efforts might still result in peaceful co-operation.
Under pressure from Weizmann, the Zionist Executive, including Jabotinsky, agreed to accept the White paper as the basis of its practical policies. Weizmann’s optimism would soon be shattered by worsening Arab attacks on Jewish civilians and settlements in Mandate Palestine, culminating in 1936 with the Arab Revolt.
In the end, the line pursued by hawks such as Ze’ev Vladimir Jabotinsky and the practical Zionism of leaders like David Ben Gurion proved more effective than Weizmann’s naive faith in diplomacy and negotiations.