Meir Wilner, one of three Communist deputies in the Knesset, will stand trial before a Parliamentary committee as a result of statements attacking Henry Morgenthau, Jr., general chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, and Premier David Ben Gurion, Speaker Joseph Sprinzak announced in the Knesset.
The announcement climaxed two days of attack on Mr. Morgenthau by Communist deputies and a sharp interchange between Premier Ben Gurion and Mr. Wilner. During the exchange, the Premier accused the Communists of “trying to promote a war of Jews against Jews,” of having collaborated with Hitler and the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem and with having fomented anti-Jewish riots in Palestine. The Communist shouted that Mr. Ben Gurion’s statement was a “lie.”
At this point, the Premier appealed to the Speaker against the deputy. Mr. Sprinzak called for order and informed the Communist that he would be tried. Immediately afterwards, the Premier stated: “We have freedom of speech, but if that freedom is turned into incitement this state will know how to stop it.”
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.
