Ben-gurion Defends His Right to Criticize the Zionist Movement

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion again today defended his right to publicly criticize the Zionist movement during the budget debate in the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament. There are matters in which he accepts majority ruling, the Premier declared, but not in matters of faith. He said he would readily give up his office if the Government would request him to do so on account of his view about Zionism.

Mr. Ben-Gurion drew a distinction between the terms “Zionist” and “Zion” The latter, he said, was a person living in Zion, but a Zionist was something else. Zion; he said, was neither New York nor Paris but here, and the person who did not know Hebrew and did not know where Zion was, had no right to be called a Zion, the Premier added.