Yigal Yadin. a former chief of staff and a world-renowned Hebrew University archaeologist, announced yesterday that he is forming a new political party to be called “The Democratic Movement” which will seek to win enough Knesset seats next year to be able to form a government.
At a press conference here. Yadin introduced a list of 78 people who form the “founding group” of his new movement. Among those on the list are: Mrs. Renana Leshem, daughter of the late Premier David Ben Gurion; Isser Harel, former chief of Israel’s intelligence services; Mrs.Yael Uzzai, a former Cabinet secretary; Pinhas Koppel, former inspector general of the police; and Gen. (Res.) Meir Zorea.
Yadin said that the principal objectives of Israel are to create a secure homeland for the Jewish people and a spiritual center for the Jews of the diaspora. “Unification of our people, closing of social gaps and the fostering of immigration and our ties with the diaspora are essential conditions for the attainment of these objectives.” he said.
On the question of peace in the Middle East, Yadin said that a true peace must come through good faith on both sides. “We should refrain,” he said, “at this point from presenting final and detailed plans for peace, since for the present no plan has been accepted by the other side,” However, Yadin said any peace must be based on the acceptance of a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israel’s willingness to relinquish territory, to a single Arab state that will exist on both sides of the Jordan River and that Israel will be able to hold on to areas on the West Bank that are essential for its security.
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.
