Knesset Adopts First Reading of Jewish Agency Status Law

The Israel Parliament today adopted the first reading of the government sponsored bill to grant the Jewish Agency an official status in Israel and to outline its role in the movement and absorption of immigrants in the Jewish State. The vote was 73 to four. The measure was introduced by Premier David Ben Gurion last night when the Knesset reconvened for its “summer session” after a month-long Passover recess.

Mr. Ben Gurion said that the law giving the Agency a status was a companion measure of the “law of return,” which guarantees every Jew the right to come to and settle in Israel. Defining the State’s prerogatives, the Premier said that the State’s authority extends only to Israel’s population, while the Zionist movement’s voluntary authority extends to all the places where there are Jewish communities. He recalled and stressed the Zionist movement’s “tremendous” historical rights, and pointed out that Israel, as a State, must keep within its natural limits and its influence can only be felt within its own borders.

The Premier underlined the fact that the Zionist movement cannot mix, nor interfere, in Israel’s internal affairs. This peculiar situation must be taken into consideration, he insisted, when granting a status either to the Zionist movement or to non-Zionist groups which have assisted and are assisting in building up the state.

OPPOSITION DEPUTIES OUTLINE THEIR OBJECTIONS

The first deputy to take the floor after the Premier was Dr. Joseph Serlin, General Zionist leader and a Deputy Speaker of the House. He charged that the law introduced by Mr. Ben Gurion was “devoid of content” and resulted from an “irregular, loose relationship between the government and the Zionist movement.” He asserted that the law was “just declarative” and “without actual meaning.” He also demanded that the government attach to the measure its proposed charter to the Agency so that Parliament would know about it and could discuss it and the law for a legal status at the same time.

A second opposition speaker was left-wing Mapam deputy Jacob Chasan, who said that he had hoped that after the establishment of the State of Israel relations between the government and the Zionist movement would become more intimate, but they had in fact become more strained. He accused the Premier of introducing a law which “falsified” the content of the Zionist Organization and would convert Zionism to philanthropy. The law would mean the liquidation of the Zionist Organization, Mr. Chazan said, adding that his party would oppose it.

Right-wing Herut deputy Eliezer Shostak attacked the government for not giving “even the similarity of a status” to the Zionist Organization. Communist deputy Meir Wilner saw in the law “the influence of the American imperialistic clique who want to control Israel.” Pinhas Rosen, leader of the Progressive Party, also demanded that the government submit the charter together with its law and criticized the measure for not giving the Zionist movement a free enough hand to work in Israel. Itzhak Raphael of the Poale Mizrachi, Orthodox Labor party, and Zalman Shazar of the government Mapai Party both appealed to the deputies to accept the law.

Immediately after the Premier concluded his address, the national radio system, Kol Israel, asked Dr. Nahum Goldmann and Berl Locker, co-chairmen of the Agency, to comment on the measure, Dr. Goldmann welcomed the move, adding that when the measure is adopted it will add to the prestige of the Zionist Organization, and will strengthen it. Mr. Locker said that the legislation had resulted from the combined efforts of the government and the Agency and will encourage the Zionist Organization.