Israel’s former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion last night told a rally of some 500 Habonim, members of Britain’s largest Zionist movement, that “the Jewish State is not yet secure; only about 30 percent of the land is settled and even that is not safe.”
Coupling his plea for young Jews to come to Israel with criticism of the Zionist movement, the Israeli leader defined Zionism as “Jewish people on their way to Israel,” and went on to say “I am not a Zionist; I am a Jew, and that is enough for me. One can not be a real, free, independent Jew outside Israel.”
Zionist leaders, Mr. Ben-Gurion said, no longer understand Zionism and their organization should not be responsible for aliyah because they are not personally identified with it anymore.
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.
