ABSTRACT
As the Peel Commission conducted its investigations in Palestine in late 1936 and early 1937, German policy was still geared to the promotion of Jewish emigration, with Palestine as a preferred destination. The Auslands organisation, incorporated into the Foreign Office by Hitler on January 30, 1937, and representing the interests of the Palsstinadeutsche, adamantly opposed any increase in Zionist strength in Palestine and establishment of a Jewish state. In August, the German Consulate-General in Jerusalem reported that the German press campaign against partition had been enthusiastically greeted by Mufti and Arab public opinion in Palestine. However, Schumburg did suggest joint German-Italian diplomatic support for Arab efforts against the partition plan. The Interior Ministry's proposal to terminate the Haavara accords was not an attempt to end Jewish emigration from Germany to Palestine. Hitler's role in the debate over emigration policy, Palestine and the Haavara agreement is difficult to assess, as is his role in all aspects of National Socialist Jewish policy.
