Rabbi Irving Miller, president of the Zionist Organization of America, today issued a statement to the press justifying the resignations of the four General Zionists from the Israel Cabinet.
“The resignation of the four General Zionist members of the Israel Cabinet followed the action of the Mapai Party in insisting on the continued use of the flag and song on workers’ holidays.” the statement said. “Mapai took this position despite Prime Minister Ben Gurion’s disapproval and notwithstanding his outspoken support of the point of view which had been advanced by the General Zionists.
“It should be emphasized that the question of Communism or the Communist flag is in no way involved here, as was erroneously reported in some newspapers,” Rabbi Miller stated. “Mr. Ben Gurion rightly characterized such reports as absurd and pointed out that ‘aside from a small group of five deputies out of 120 in the Knesset, no party in Israel flies the Communist flag.’ The stand of the General Zionists in Israel is directly related to their insistence on a national education system,” the Z.O.A. president pointed out.
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