The rift between the two factions within the Mapai, the Jewish Labor Party of Palestine, has become so acute that David Ben-Gurion, as one of the leaders of the party, delivered a three-hour speech demanding implicit discipline on the part of all members.
Mr. Ben-Gurion voiced his demand at a two-day conference of leaders of both factions which concluded yesterday. If the minority continues its present policy, it will read itself out of the party, he insisted.
Some fifty speakers demanded the floor to participate in the debate which followed Ben-Gurion’s address, but only a small number succeeded in getting the floor. The debate will be continued next week. Z. Idelson, one of the leaders of the opposition, justified the right of every member of the party to his own opinion. He accused the majority of “wishing to suppress every independent thought.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
