Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion renewed today his verbal attack on the Zionist movement, suggesting in Israel’s Parliament that the name of the Zionist Organization be changed to “Jewish Organization.”
At the same time he denied that his criticism of the movement, made before delegates of the Ihud Olami several days ago, was in conflict with the World Zionist Organization law of status approved by the Knesset in 1952. He was challenged by Deputy S.Z. Abramov of the Liberal party who said that Israel’s attitude toward the World Zionist Organization, as reflected in that law, was a positive one. The Prime Minister retorted that “there is no such mention of it.”
The debate was on the issue of a coalition agreement which requires Cabinet members to resign if they do not support a majority Government policy. The Prime Minister said that his statement at the Ihud was in accord with the status law but that even if it was not, he would continue to express his views on the subject on the basis of freedom of the press. He insisted that he did not advocate the liquidation of the Zionist movement, merely a change in its name.
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