HL Deb 10 March 1948 vol 154 cc617-8
VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDS

My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lord Calverley, I beg to ask the question standing in his name.

[The question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they can state the number of ships carrying illegal immigrants to Palestine since January, 1946; who were the nationals who chartered the vessels; how many immigrants were carried in the ships, and the source from which they came; further, how many Jews have been settled in Palestine during the past two years, and how many Jews are at present in Cyprus.]

THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (VISCOUNT HALL)

My Lords, fifty-two ships have attempted to land illegal immigrants in Palestine since January, 1946. Nearly all of them, it is understood, were chartered and organised on behalf of the illegal immigration section of Haganah. In all, they carried approximately 63,500 illegal immigrants, some of whom had come from displaced persons' camps in Germany, Austria and Italy, and others from the Jewish populations of Central and Eastern Europe. Throughout the period referred to, Jewish immigration has continued at the rate of 1,500 per month. The number of Jews held in Cyprus on March 3, was 27,076.