The General Zionist Party refuses to enter the government coalition because it will not assume responsibility for the government’s economic policy, which it considers dangerous and detrimental to the welfare of the state, Dr. Fritz Bernstein, leader of the party and Minister of Trade in the provisional government of Israel, declared here last night at the opening of the annual national General Zionist conference. Some 200 delegates, representing 14,000 members, attended.
He charged that the present government’s policies in relation to absorption and economic development are based on party interest. This situation, he asserted, has not encouraged the confidence of potential investors. Dr. Bernstein insisted that the present composition of the Knesset no longer represents the sentiment of the country at large, and that this may require a general election before the four-year statutory period has elapsed.
He reported on negotiations between his party and the Progressive Party for a merger. His party, he revealed, is prepared to enter into an unconditional amalgamation, but the Progressives are only prepared to cooperate in certain specific fields. He emphasized that from a point of view of the need of the local General Zionist Party a merger is not advantageous, but that such a policy is favored by General Zionist parties abroad.
During the debate in the Knesset today–still on the Premier’s report on his government’s achievements up to this point and its plans for the future, Amin Jarjoura, an Arab Mapai deputy, appealed for freedom of movement for all Arab soldiers who still require special identity cards when they travel.
The deputy also asked that Arab villages be returned to the Arabs, pointing out that there are 6,000 Arabs in Nazareth who are supported by the Red Cross who could become self-sufficient if they were returned to their homes in nearly villages. He asked for the creation of a parliamentary committee to deal with Arab problems.
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.
