American grants-in-aid to Israel are welcome but may not be of much help in improving Israel’s financial position, General Zionist leader Dr. Fritz Bernstein declared last night during a debate in the Israel Parliament on Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett’s summary of the Israel position in foreign affairs.
Dr. Bernstein asserted that he did not “feel free” to discuss the economic situation of the country, although he added that he feared that a public discussion of the situation could not do much more harm to the country. Commenting on the fact that the Western Powers had asked Egypt to accept a leading role in the proposed Middle East defense arrangement, Dr. Bernstein maintained that this demonstrated “our degradation in the international arena.” for which he blamed the country’s poor economic situation.
Mapam’s Jacob Riftin took the floor to criticize the Middle East command, asking since when the United States and Britain had become Middle Eastern countries. He called on the Israel Government to shun participation in such an alliance. Also, the left-wing Socialist deputy asked the government not to enter into negotiations with Germany, not even for the “greatest reparations.”
Meanwhile, the League Against Negotiations with Germany circulated an open letter to members of the Knesset asking them to refuse to sanction negotiations with the nation whose “hands are stained with Jewish blood.”
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.
