Premier David Ben Gurion, addressing a Mapai rally here, proposed today that the Mapai–the right-wing labor party which dominates the government–organize “volunteer battalions with each volunteer devoting two years to any pioneering mission to be decided upon by a High Pioneering Command.”
The Israel Premier, who earlier attended military maneuvers in northern Israel carried out by reserve units, said that the volunteers must be above 20 years of age and must have completed two years of compulsory military service. He said that between now and the annual congress of the Mapai on June 29, some 2,000 such volunteers were needed.
“More than at any other time,” the Premier continued, “we now need a central force, guidance and education, to pave the way for the masses to come to Israel. In addition to capital, planning and professional proficiency, we need a pioneering force and impetus,” he concluded.
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