Leon Dulzin, acting chairman of the Executives of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, declared yesterday that anyone seeking to succeed the late Pinhas Sapir as chairman “will have to challenge me.”
Dulzin said, in an interview with Maariv, that he had intended to bid for the posts after Louis Pincus, the chairman, died more than two years ago. But, he said, when he learned Sapir intended to run for the posts, he withdrew because he felt the WZO needed a chairman prepared to reject the post of Israeli Prime Minister. Dulzin stressed he considered the situation exceptional, because it involved Sapir, a comment interpreted to mean that this time, Dulzin did not intend to withdraw his candidacy.
Dulzin said also that, while he would put stress on his role as acting chairman of the WZO and the Agency on aliya, that department would be directed by Rabbi Mordechai Kirshblum of the Mizrachi, the “associate chairman” of the immigration department, and Uzi Narkiss, immigration department director general.
Dulzin, asked how he would cooperate with the government as a member of the opposition Likud, said that for years, he had made a clear distinction between his political views and the activities of the WZO and the Jewish Agency. But he repeated in the interview his objection to the proposals for a second interim accord between Egypt and Israel, asserting that the agreement was really what Egyptian President Anwar Sadat wanted–a military agreement and nothing else.
He disclosed he had been approached by members of his party, the Liberals, to head it after Elimelech Rimalt said he wanted to resign, Dulzin added that two weeks ago, he rejected the suggestion.
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