The first meeting of the Socialist International Council outside of Europe opened here today with several hundred Socialist leaders from 29 countries in attendance. They include former French Premier Guy Mollet, Hugh Gaitskell, chairman of the British Socialist party and West German Socialist leader Erich Ollenhauer.
The delegates were greeted last night at a festive pre-conference dinner in Jerusalem by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion who said that, as against the issue of class differences stressed by Socialism in the 19th Century, “the great world problem that should now occupy the attention of world socialism is the tremendous gap between the wealthy countries of Europe and America and the poor nations now awakening to independence in Asia and Africa.”
“This is the great human problem of our times and much more crucial than the so-called cold war,” the Prime Minister said, citing Israel’s effort to contribute “modestly to Afro-Asian development. He said the ingathering of Jews from more than 70 countries had proved there was no fundamental difference between a Jew from America and one from Africa and “we know this applies not only to us but to all nations and peoples of all colors.”
Alsing Andersen, Danish labor leader and chairman of the Socialist International, said the movement considered Israel “a natural meeting place” because it was the site where throughout history “the cultures of Europe, Asia and Africa have met.” He said support for the decision to meet for the first time in Israel was evidenced by the record number of delegates.
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