Sharett Takes Issue with Ben-gurion’s Views on Zionist Movement

Former Prime Minister Moshe Sharett, in his capacity as new chairman of the Jewish Agency, took issue with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion last night in regard to the latter’s renewed attack against the world Zionist movement.

Delivering his first address to the closing session of the Zionist Actions Committee, which had just formally-elected him to the Agency chairmanship, Mr. Sharett said he was surprised that Mr. Ben-Gurion, “a man of such creative powers, is wasting his time and strength on such a barren word battle.” Premier Ben-Gurion, in an article in the newspaper Davar, organ of the Israel Federation of Labor, has advocated that the Zionist Organization drop the title “Zionist” and call itself instead the “Jewish Organization.”

“I am sorry to see the Premier renewing his attempts to deprive the Zionist Organization of the right to be called Zionist,” said Mr. Sharett. He recalled that, under a 1952 Israeli law on the status of the World Zionist Organization as well as under an agreement made in 1954 between the WZO and the Israeli Government–close, mutual, Zionist-Government relations were established.

“As far as I know,” continued Mr. Sharett, “the 1954 resolution by the Government, approving the covenant with the World Zionist Organization, was adopted with the Premier’s approval. But, at any rate, it is binding on the Government. The activities of the Zionist Organization, in collaboration with the Israel Government, will continue on the basis of the joint stand expressed in the 1952 and 1954 documents. If the Premier’s article on the question is intended to reveal to the outside world disunity within the Government, that is a matter for the Government to deal with, and not for the World Zionist Organization.”