The Israeli Knesseth today voted to accept the terms of the $100,000,000 American loan. The vote was 85 to three, with 19 abstentions.
In appealing for the deputies to support the loan, Finance Minister ELiezer Kaplan said that there were no hidden clauses in the loan agreement. He said that the nation needed some $500,000,000 for this year’s development program. He also revealed that the Export-Import Bank has advanced Israel another $5,000,000, and that negotiations are nearing completion for trade pacts with Poland and Czechoslovakia.
The Mapam representatives demanded that loans be also sought from other countries than the U.S. and that they be free of political and economic conditions, while the Herut demanded special spending controls in connection with acceptance of the loan. Both proposals were defeated. Toward the end of the session, Premier David Ben Gurion announced that next week the Knesseth would turn to the selection of parliamentary sub-committees, the appointment of an attorney-general and a bill providing for the rehabilitation of veterans.
Israel has yet to receive any official notification of Syrian agreement to engage in armistice talks, a Foreign Ministry spokesman announced today. (Reports yesterday from Damascus stated that Premier Khaled el-Azem had told the Syrian parliament that the government had consented to enter into armistice negotiations with 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.
