Dr. Joseph Shechtman, chairman of the Zionist Revisionists of America, today explained at a press conference the reasons for his resignation from the executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel of which he has been a member since April 1963. He blamed the Mapai and the Confederation of General Zionists for the move.
Declaring that “the Revisionists were entitled to have two representatives in the executive” and that “the Mapai demanded complete exclusion of the Revisionists from the executive” during the session of the World Zionist Congress which was held early this month in Jerusalem, Dr. Shechtman said in a press statement:
“In order to mollify Mapai, the Confederation suggested that we agree to have only one representative in the executive. This was of course entirely unacceptable to us. We asked for no more than what is our right. We could not accept less and submit to second class membership in the Zionist Organization.
“When, because of the stalemate, the election of the executive was turned over to the forthcoming session of the General Zionist Council, I could not in good conscience remain a member of the executive; I could not condone the injustice which was meted out to the Jabotinsky movement which contributed so much to Zionism and to the rise of Israel. I resigned from the executive and my resignation stays.”
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