The Israeli police last night foiled an attempt to disrupt the opening session of the World Zionist Congress and arrested three men who are members of a group known as “Canaanim.” The police said that the three planned to explode a stench bomb in the Congress hall, which would serve as a signal “for further action” which the police did not specify.
The “Canaanim” is a small group composed chiefly of native born Israelis who preach the return of the ancient Ashtoreth cult. They consider themselves the descendents of the ancient inhabitants of Canaan, the territory lying along the Mediterranean Sea and as far inland as the Judean Hills. The group advocates cessation of immigration to Israel and the development of close relations with the peoples living on the “big plain from the Euphrates to the Nile.”
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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.