Summing up a week-long debate on his report on the government’s achievements during the last eight months and its future foreign and domestic policy, Premier David Ben Gurion today held open the door to all political parties in Israel to join his Mapai-led coalition government. He listed six major conditions, the acceptance of which would bring any party an invitation to join the government. They are:
1. A foreign policy based on peace with the Arabs and independence in relation to the world power blocs. 2. Equality of rights and duties for all citizens, including the Arabs. 3. A united Army. 4. An economic policy based on fighting the high cost of living, guaranteeing the freedom of industry and the safeguarding of private ownership. 5. Satisfaction of religious requirements without the establishment of a religious dictatorship. 6. Acceptance of joint responsibility by all parties in the coalition.
Declaring that the time is not yet ripe for adoption of a constitution, the Premier assured the Knesset that there is no need to fear that the government will remain in office beyond its term. The main task now, he said, is the gathering in of 500,000 Jews confronted by a catastrophe.
He released the total number of votes each of the Israel parties received among the armed forces during the Parliamentary elections early this year. They were: Mapai, 31,138; Mapam, 15,776; Herut, 11,151; Religious Bloc, 5,646; Progressives, 2,106; Fighters, 1,335; Sephardim, 1,250.
Finance Minister Eliezer Kaplan, who preceded the Premier, said that Israel’s chances of success or failure in solving the problems of immigration absorption and land reclamation were equal. Success, he said, means independence for Israel, while failure means economic crisis. He revealed that the government has spent huge sums attempting to absorb the immigrants and fight joblessness. Despite this, he reported, 40,000 persons are currently unemployed and this figure may be doubled in the next ten months.
He warned Britain that it could not take advantage of Israel’s desperate need for hard currency by continuing to hold on to blocked Israel sterling balances. This, he stated, will not cause Israel to bow to British economic demands.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
