A five-member Cabinet committee was appointed today to deal with all questions concerning the future statue of Jerusalem. The committee members are Rabbi Judah L. Fishman, Minister of Reparations; Rabbi I.M. Lewin, Social Welfare, Itzhak Gruenbaum, Interior; David Remez, Communications, and Aaron Zisling, Agriculture.
Various departments within the Provisional Government have been instructed to name liaison officers who will be attached to the soon-to-be appointed Jerusalem military governors. Further decisions on Jerusalem are expected to be announced next week. An advisory committee made up of members of the State Council to aid the military governor will also be named shortly.
ISRAEL MAY DEMAND JERUSALEM FOR JEWISH STATE, SHERTOK INDICATES
Today’s developments followed closely on the heels of Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok’s address to the State Council last night in which he indicated strongly that the Jews may demand the inclusion of Jerusalem into the boundaries of the state of Israel before the final peace discussions are concluded.
Rejecting U.N. mediator Count Folke Bernadotte’s proposals for demilitarizing Jerusalem, Shertok declared that the General Assembly’s partition decision–which included a plan for granting Jerusalem international status–was no longer “morally binding” on Israel. He added that Israel will demand reconsideration of its boundaries in view of the events that have transpired since the November 29 partition decision was reached.
The Israeli Foreign Minister also told the State Council that the Arab states, in the final peace discussions, will be asked to pay reparations for “the immense damage caused to the Jews” and for losses suffered by local Palestinian Arabs. Shertok also reiterated what he told Bernadotte earlier this week–that there can under no circumstances be any limitation placed on the immigration to Israel of Jews of military age during the truce period.
Practically every political party represented in the State Council–with the noticeable exception of the Mapai, Israel’s largest party, of which Shertok is a member-urged that Jerusalem be included in the Jewish state. The Council also elected foreign affairs committee of eight members to aid Shertok in formulating future policy. At the same time, Rabbi Wolf Gold, a member of the Jewish Agency executive, was elected fourth vice-chairman of the Council to represent the Mizrachi and Labor Mizrachi elements.
Premier David Ben Gurion, joining in the general debate following Shertok’s address, refused to permit any discussion of the present security situation, declaring that the situation as it stands now is sufficiently “covered,” Representatives from parties other than the Mapai–which Ben Gurion heads–criticized his “one-man” hand-ling of the defense problem.
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