After negotiating for five days in an attempt to obtain party unity, the conference of the Palestine Jewish Labor Party concluded today without reaching any definite decision as to its internal difficulties.
The ten leaders, representing both factions of the party, who were appointed to negotiate a year’s “armistice” to prevent a split within its ranks could not come to any agreement. The conference was thus compelled to conclude after voting that these leaders be given another two weeks to arrive at some kind of a solution.
Explaining why the ten negotiators could not reconcile their differences before the close of the conference, David Ben-Gurion said: “The shortness of time as compared with the misunderstandings which have piled up, the complexity of the problems, the doubts and soul-searching. as well as the presence of 180 delegates impatiently waiting for a decision. weighed upon us during the negotiations. Also, it was not easy to overcome contradictions between light and darkness in our souls. We, therefore, decided to continue our efforts over a longer period of time.”
The continued negotiations, Mr. Ben-Gurion warned the conference, “might be disappointing and might fail. But they might also be fruitful,” His report created the impression that the prospects for a settlement of the two-year old inner struggle within the Labor Party were slight. A split within the party would have grave consequences not only for the Palestine labor movement, but for the entire Zionist movement and for the political activities of the Jewish Agency.
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.
