The Zionist Executive will accept the Zionist Congress Court order to carry out elections “in word and in spirit,” the Executive decided by a wide majority yesterday.
Avraham Schenker. head of the WZO’s organization and information department, was asked to provide the Executive with a timetable for carrying out the membership census and the elections. The final decision as to the convening of the 29th Congress will be determined by the Zionist General Council. It was also decided that in countries in which election dates have already been set, they will be postponed until the final date for the Congress is fixed. The Congress was scheduled to convene Jan. 17.
The Executive meeting followed a Zionist Congress Court ruling which declared “unconstitutional” a decision by the Zionist General Council last July not to hold elections for the Congress.
TURNING POINT FOR ZIONIST MOVEMENT
In the discussion that developed in the Executive, WZO chairman Yosef Almogi said it was desirable that the Executive prepare for the Congress properly, rather than engage itself in discussion regarding the earlier decision not to hold the elections.
Jewish Agency treasurer Leon Dulzin said the Court had saved the honor of the Zionist movement and its decision should be regarded as an important turning point in the history of the Zionist movement. He added that “all of us owe thanks to the appeal by Herut (to rescind the Zionist Council decision) and the stand adopted by the WZO attorney which brought about this important ruling.”
Moshe Krone, head of the department of Torah education in the diaspora, said the Executive should learn from the failure so that from now on there will be proper preparation for the Congress.
Ezra Shapiro, chairman of Keren Hayesod, said in the name of the World Confederation of the United Zionists, that his faction supported full elections for the Congress. “If we want democracy, let there be democracy throughout the world,” he said, “including in Israel.” The Congress Court which ruled against the General Council’s decision was headed by Supreme Court Justice Moshe Landau.
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