Shmuel Mikunis, a leader of one of the two competing factions into which the Israel Communist Party split this week, called on the Arab nations last night to recognize Israel and its legitimate rights to a share in the Jordan River waters, and to passage of Israel’s commerce through the Suez Canal.
He made the call at the convention of his faction, composed largely of Jews. His address contained a bitter attack on the other faction, made up largely of Arabs, and headed by Meir Wilner and Tufik Toubi, considered the more extreme of the two factions in opposition to the Israel Government and its policies. The rival faction will hold its convention in the same hall tomorrow.
Mr. Mikunis accused the rival faction of “barren dogmatism” in “opposing the just national aspirations of the Jewish people.” Greetings to the Mikunis faction, which continues to call itself the Israel Communist Party, were received at the convention from most Communist countries and Communist parties in the west.
The greetings from Moscow said that the “Israel Communist Party is true to the principles of equality of Jews and Arabs.” The convention opened with the singing of Hatikvah and the International.
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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.
