Dr. Nahum Goldmann issued a statement today denouncing former Premier David Ben-Gurion for the latter’s continued public criticisms of Premier Levi Eshkol and his government. Dr. Goldmann emphasized that he was speaking as president of the World Zionist Organization.
Although he did not refer to Mr. Ben-Gurion by name, the reference was clear. Earlier this week Mr. Ben-Gurion appeared at a meeting of the Mapai-sponsored kibbutz movement and there again accused Premier Eshkol and his colleagues of being “people of no honor” and again declared that Mr. Eshkol was not fit to be Premier. He also asserted that Jews from other countries would not come to settle in Israel as long as there were “untruthful” people at the helm of its Government.
“If leaders of Israel with international standing and an assured position in the history of our generation insult the Prime Minister, personally accusing him of immorality and untruthfulness,” said Dr. Goldmann, “this must do untold damage to the image of Israel in the eyes of Israeli youth and of the Jewish people and the world at large. It will certainly not help in developing the people of Israel to be a chosen people.”
He declared that criticism of government by opposition parties was natural in a democracy but that the kind of criticism he meant took the form of individual insults and personal denigration undermining the morale of public life with disastrous efforts on Jewish and non-Jewish public opinion outside of Israel. Dr. Goldmann ended his statement with an outspoken tribute to Mr. Eshkol, which he said was also on behalf of the WZO.
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