The secretary-general of Histadrut, the Israel Federation of Labor, said in a speech prepared for delivery to the convention of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations here that neither Israel nor the Arab states could afford to return to the conditions “which kept the area in terror and turmoil for 20 years and made it a danger to the nations that live there and to the peace of the world as a whole.”
Aharon Becker told the leadership of the American labor movement that the only answer to the Middle East problem was for Israelis and Arabs to negotiate directly, seeking a peace based on mutual respect and recognition. He praised the aid the American labor movement had given to Israel and described the rule of Histadrut and its one million members in the development of the state. He described the work of Histadrut in the international area, providing assistance to underdeveloped countries and stressed that “we in the international free labor movement, must find the way to the hearts and minds of the workers in the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America.”
While in this country on a three-week mission, Mr. Becker helped launch the 1968 campaign of the National Committee for Labor Israel seeking $6 million to help finance Histadrut programs.
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