The Israel Cabinet, by a small majority, decided today not to ask for the transfer of the remains of Vladimir Jabotinsky to Israel. A communique merely said that the “government has decided there will be no more transfer of the remains of leaders of the Zionist movement. ” Mr. Jabotinsky, the late Zionist Revisionist leader, died in the United States and is buried in New York.
Several weeks ago, the General Zionists moved for a debate in parliament over the government’s failure to transfer Mr. Jabotinsky’s remains. Upon the understanding that the matter would be discussed in the Cabinet, the sponsors withdrew their motion for a debate.
The reason that the issue has arisen is that Mr. Jabotinsky provided in his will that his remains should be transferred to Palestine only if there were a Jewish State there and if the Jewish government of that state asked for the transfer.
In today’s debate, it is understood, the request was made by Dr. Pinchas Rosen, Progressive Justice Minister, and received some leftist support. However, Mr. Ben Gurion, backed by his Mapai Ministers, stood firm against making the request for the transfer.
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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.
