General Zionist Confederation Clarifies Stand on Revisionist Seats

The World Confederation of General Zionists, headed by Mrs. Rose Halprin and Dr. Israel Goldstein, today issued a statement here clarifying the position of the Confederation on the issue concerning the number of seats for the Zionist-Revisionists in the Jewish Agency executive, which brought about the closing of the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem last month without the election of a new executive, turning over the election to the forthcoming session of the Zionist Actions Committee. The statement reads:

“1. It was our Confederation of General Zionists which, at the meeting of the Actions Committee held in Jerusalem on March 18-26, 1963, fought for the inclusion of the Revisionists and achieved the compromise proposal which brought Dr. Joseph Schechtman as a member of the executive of the American Section of the Jewish Agency.

“2. When the question of a wall-to-wall executive was discussed in the Standing Committee of the last Zionist Congress, our Confederation cast a vote in favor of an all inclusive executive.

“3. Only when it became clear during the last days of the Congress that a wall-to-wall executive could not be achieved and that the entire Labor Movement would withdraw, and when Dr. Nahum Goldmann, as president of the World Zionist Organization, made the plea that the entire matter of elections of an executive be postponed to avoid an immediate crisis, did our Confederation throw its support to Dr. Goldmann in the interests of the Zionist Movement as a whole.

“4. At this Congress, our Confederation was the only group for whom there would have been personal advantage in urging an immediate election of a new Agency executive since we are now entitled to three full members instead of the two members and one deputy we now have, Nevertheless, despite our personal interest in the matter, we voted in favor of the proposition of the president of the WZO because it is our belief that, in time of crisis, one must first of all support the president, and secondly do everything possible to avoid the crisis.”