The Israel Parliament overwhelmingly approved the joint government-Jewish Agency Supreme Development Authority in the field of immigration and absorption following a long and stormy debate last night.
In the course of the debate the agreement was criticized by the left-wing Socialist opposition, Mapam, and rejected by both the parties of the far left and far right–the Communists and the Herut. Both the Communists and the Herut saw in the establishment of the joint authority a threat to Israel’s sovereignty. The Communists attacked it as the “intervention of certain Jewish circles represented by (Henry) Morgenthau,” while the rightists declared that the Agency no longer represents the Jewish nation and the government must arrange immigration and absorption matters through the passage of laws by the Knesset.
The Mapam deputies, while they welcomed the agreement, expressed fear that it would “subdue” and subordinate the Zionist movement, restrict its activities, “its prerogatives and its vision.” Representatives of various small parties asked for representation on the coordinating board.
Premier David Ben Gurion, who took a leading part in the debate, criticized the Mapam for approving the agreement through its representative in the Agency and attacking the same agreement in Parliament. He hailed the establishment of the authority as a means of strengthening the demand of the Jewish state and world Jewry for greater sacrifices in behalf of immigration.
“If the Jewish nation will not fulfill its share, we will increase our own burden, spare no effort or sacrifice, increase taxation to the utmost, but continue to gather in, to build and to develop the state,” he said. The Premier climaxed his address by stating: “We have not saved the Zionist movement, but the movement has saved us by contributing what no one ever dreamt it would be able to contribute.”
He explained that the agreement was temporary because the Agency could not bind the World Zionist Congress, but expressed confidence that the Congress would ratify the set-up. Throughout the debate, the members of the Jewish Agency executive sat in the gallery listening attentively.
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.
