General Meir Amit, commander-in-chief of the Israel Army Central Command, declared tonight at a Purim Salute to Israel’s Tenth Anniversary in Town Hall, which opened the 1958 New York campaign to raise Israel bond investment funds, that “the people of Israel are prepared, if necessary, to fight and die” for the right to develop their homeland.
The Israeli military leader, who planned operations in the Sinai campaign of 1956, told a capacity audience of 1,400 persons that “we are a peaceful people whose aim it is to develop our economy and make a home for all Jews who wish to live within Israel’s borders. But we are prepared, if necessary, to fight and die for our freedom and our right to live in security in our homeland.”
General Amit, in his report on Israel’s accomplishments during the past decade, said: “The State of Israel, which has been able to defend itself against all its enemies in its first ten years of existence, will maintain its security and independence during the next decade as well. In order for us to maintain our security, we must be economically strong. This is why Israel bond dollars are of such vital importance to Israel.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
