American Palestine Committee
Encyclopedia
The American Palestine Committee was political lobby group in the United States
founded in 1932 to influence American policy towards the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine
,
an aim achieved in 1948 with U.S. support for the Partition of Palestine and subsequent recognition of the new state of Israel
.
, late in 1931, following the 1930 publication of the Passfield White Paper
by the British government, which was seen as a retreat from the commitments of the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate for Palestine. The idea of the American Palestine Committee was to organize a group of prominent (mainly non-Jewish) Americans in political support of the Zionist project of creating a Jewish Homeland in Palestine. The Committee was launched at a public dinner in Washington on January 17, 1932 and attended by members of both houses of Congress, and government dignitaries, including Vice President Charles Curtis
. A letter of greeting from President Herbert Hoover
was read to the audience. The principal speeches at the inaugural meeting were delivered by Felix Frankfurter
, Emanuel Neumann, and Elwood Mead
.
By the 1940s, the membership of the committee had grown to 15,000 and included two-thirds of the United States Senate
, as well as many members of the United States House of Representatives
, state legislatures, mayors and other influential political figures. The main event in its calendar was an annual dinner. In 1944 the committee sponsored a National Conference on Palestine which passed resolutions calling for maximum Jewish immigration to Palestine and the conversion of Palestine into a Jewish Commonwealth.
The American Palestine Committee worked jointly with other bodies including the Christian Council on Palestine and the American Zionist Emergency Council and succeeded in 1945 in having the U.S. Congress adopt a resolution supporting the creation of a Jewish Commonwealth in Palestine.
In 1946 the organization merged with the Christian Council on Palestine to become the American Christian Palestine Committee. At that point its membership numbered over 15,000 Christians.
In 1947 it advocated quick implementation of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
's plan. A few years following the successful creation of Israel in 1948, the American Christian Palestine Committee felt its work done and disbanded.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founded in 1932 to influence American policy towards the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
,
an aim achieved in 1948 with U.S. support for the Partition of Palestine and subsequent recognition of the new state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
History
Conceived by Emanuel Neumann, a member of the Executive of the Zionist OrganizationWorld Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
, late in 1931, following the 1930 publication of the Passfield White Paper
Passfield white paper
The Passfield White Paper, issued October 20, 1930, by colonial secretary Lord Passfield, was a formal statement of British policy in Palestine, which previously had been set by the Churchill White Paper of 1922...
by the British government, which was seen as a retreat from the commitments of the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate for Palestine. The idea of the American Palestine Committee was to organize a group of prominent (mainly non-Jewish) Americans in political support of the Zionist project of creating a Jewish Homeland in Palestine. The Committee was launched at a public dinner in Washington on January 17, 1932 and attended by members of both houses of Congress, and government dignitaries, including Vice President Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
. A letter of greeting from President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
was read to the audience. The principal speeches at the inaugural meeting were delivered by Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.-Early life:Frankfurter was born into a Jewish family on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Europe. He was the third of six children of Leopold and Emma Frankfurter...
, Emanuel Neumann, and Elwood Mead
Elwood Mead
Elwood Mead was a professor, politician and engineer, known for heading the Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 until his death in 1936. During his tenure, he oversaw some of the most complex projects the Bureau of Reclamation has undertaken...
.
By the 1940s, the membership of the committee had grown to 15,000 and included two-thirds of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, as well as many members of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, state legislatures, mayors and other influential political figures. The main event in its calendar was an annual dinner. In 1944 the committee sponsored a National Conference on Palestine which passed resolutions calling for maximum Jewish immigration to Palestine and the conversion of Palestine into a Jewish Commonwealth.
The American Palestine Committee worked jointly with other bodies including the Christian Council on Palestine and the American Zionist Emergency Council and succeeded in 1945 in having the U.S. Congress adopt a resolution supporting the creation of a Jewish Commonwealth in Palestine.
In 1946 the organization merged with the Christian Council on Palestine to become the American Christian Palestine Committee. At that point its membership numbered over 15,000 Christians.
In 1947 it advocated quick implementation of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
United Nations Special Committee on Palestine
The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine was formed in May 1947 in response to a United Kingdom government request that the General Assembly "make recommendations under article 10 of the Charter, concerning the future government of Palestine"...
's plan. A few years following the successful creation of Israel in 1948, the American Christian Palestine Committee felt its work done and disbanded.