David Ben Gurion, Premier of Israel, appeared in a district court in Tel Aviv today in a case involving libel charges against the Communist newspaper Kol Haam. In the course of the day, the court ruled that the Premier had to reply to questions by counsel for the newspaper concerning questions of strategy during the war of liberation, but upheld him in his refusal to divulge military or state secrets.
The charges against the newspaper grew out of its calling the Premier a “traitor to the nation and to the working class.” The case began 18 months ago. The Premier, who rejected a chair in the witness stand because he did not went any “special privileges,” refused to take an oath “on religious grounds.”
Defense counsel asked the Premier to explain the presence in Israel during its early months of existence of a “Col. Harris,” a former United States Army officer who, the Communists charge, came to “organize” Israel. “Harris came as a volunteer; spontaneously, as did many others,” Mr. Ben Gurion replied, refusing to elaborate any further. He also insisted that anything he would add was “likely to compromise the security of the state.”
During cross examination by defense counsel, the Premier was asked to state whether he issued orders December 28, 1948, pulling back Israeli troops who had previously penetrated Egyptian territory. Kol Haam had charged that the troops were recalled on orders from the United States Government. “All my orders during wartime were issued to attain ultimate victory and it is my opinion that this was achieved,” the Premier said. He refused to answer additional questions because he did not consider the courtroom a “proper” place for discussing Israel’s relations with foreign countries.
Earlier, he explained that he “had never said anything against the Soviet government, but I conduct Jewish Communists, who have in the past collaborated with Russian program promoters and later with a party headed by the former Grand Mufti of Palestine.”
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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.
