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Ben Gurion Reiterates Need to Reduce Number of Political Parties

September 10, 1957
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Premier David Ben Gurion last night appealed to Israel’s women to submerge differences of party, class and community and unite in receiving immigrants with “motherly love” and “womanly warmth,” in bringing up their children in a tradition of self-sacrifice and pioneering, and taking special pains to open Israeli homes to the tens of thousands of visitors expected to come here next year to help celebrate the tenth anniversary of Israel’s independence.

Addressing the opening session of the 11th national conference of the Israeli section of the Women’s International Zionist Organization, the Premier dwelt on a subject which is one of his old favorites–the need to reduce the large number of Israeli political parties. The ideal situation, he said, is for Israel to have a two-party system, a goal which he believes realizable when election of deputies to Parliament is placed on a regional rather than a proportional representation system.

The meeting was opened by Mrs. Rebecca Sieff, president of the world WIZO, and Mrs. Rachel Kagan, chairman of the Israel section. Mrs. Kagan reported that since the last WIZO parley in Israel, in 1951, the organization had gained 20,000 members nationally to bring the total to 55,000. WIZO operates 200 institutions in this country, cares for 12,000 children, and teaches thousands of women to better care for their homes and children.

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