The dissolution by the Israeli Government of the separate headquarters of Palmach, striking force within the former Haganah, came up for open discussion today for the first time when leaders of Mapam, the United Workers Party, raised the issue at a session of the Council of the Histadruth, the Israeli Federation of Labor.
Premier David Ben Gurion, addressing the session which was attended by hundreds of guests from Israel and abroad, emphasized the need for unity in the ranks of labor. The main duty of the Histadruth, he said, is to make the structure of Israel similar to that of the Histadruth which, he added, is a going concern–“constructive, sovereign, independent and cooperating with other free nations on the basis of equality and brotherhood.” The Histadruth will be able to fulfill this historic task to the extent to which it will succeed to make workers conscious of the need for unity and responsibility, he added.
Rachman Ayoub, secretary of the Palestine Arab Labor League, declared at the meeting that “May 25 made possible what was impossible under British oppression and criminal Arab leadership–the expansion of activities of this League, which advocates equality and cooperation between Jewish and Arab workers.” Since May 20 new League branches have been opened, he reported, adding that “the time has now come to tear down the barriers between the two peoples, thus assuring full equality and free movement.”
The session was also addressed by Charles Zimmerman of New York who greeted the delegates on behalf of the American Federation of Labor, and by Gaston Tessier, secretary-general of the French Catholic Workers Organization.
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