6—THE JEWISH NEWS
Israel's Democracy in Action
Friday, March 30, 1951
New Stale, Like the U.S., Is Guided by Greth t Ideals
Almost two centuries ago, the newly consti-
tuted United States of America seated for the
first time a legislative body which had its be-
ginnings in a povisional government born of years
of crisis.
Seven generations later, a small nation on the
other side of the world seated its own legislature
after a period of crisis strikingly reminiscent of
America's formative era.
Israel's first. official action as a sovereign
state was the diTfting of a proclamation -embody-
ing, the same principles as America's Declaration
of Independence. While the citizens of the new
country were still fighting six invading Arab
states, their leaders declared to the world that
"the State of Israel will be open to the immigra-
tion of Jews from all the countries of their dis-
persion; will promote the development of the
country for the benefit of all the inhabitants;
will be based on the principles of liberty, justice
and peace; will uphold the full social and politi-
cal equality of all its citizens without distinction
of religion, race or sex; will guarantee freedom
of religion, conscience, education and culture;
will safeguard the holy places of all religions and
will lOyally uphold the principles of the United
Nations Charter."
Like America, which remained a debtor
nation with imports far exceeding exports un-
til World War I, Israel's fulfillment of the first
pledge of its proclamation — those promising
full immigration and the development of the-
country's resources — requires a prograit of
foreign investment for a healthy economy. To1-..
ward that end, the government is floating a
$500,000,000 bond issue in the United States
which will render the country independent fi-
nancially and enable it to develop industrially
and agriculturally.
Every male and female citizen in Israel, regardless
of race and creed, has the democratic right to vote
under Israel law. Legislators, chosen by secret ballot,.
take their seats in parliament—known in Israel as the
Knesset.
In its parlimentary form of _government, Israel
has borrowed from the traditions of many assem-
blies, chiefly the British House of Commons, the
French Parliament and the Belgian Chamber_ Al-
though the executive body in Israel is a cabinet
based on firm foundations of justice and liberality.
which is collectively responsible to the Knesset, a
The Supreme Court of Israel, which rules on the
familiar European pattern, Israel has followed the
legality of new legislation and acts to protect the
American system which permits the inclusion in the
rights of citizens, has rejected the wearing of wigs,
cabinet of administrative experts without relation
traditional in British courts of law, and dresses in the
to their membership in the legislature.
black robes adopted by America's High Court. Since
Israel's first government came into being in a Israel has not codified its own Hebrew law, the pro-
time of war, when other governments have found it ceedings of the courts are carried on in Hebrew and
expedient to curtail civil liberties and restrict the English, with attorneys and justices alike citing
general freedom of their population. In direct. viola- British decisions in heavily accented English and
tion of the traditions of war, Israel's lawmakers cre- switching to Hebrew for decisions and pleas.
ated a Supreme Court to ensure the continued civil
Informality and humor have been the hall-
rights of Israelis and, carrying over into Israel's daily
marks of Israel's government since the estab-
life the legal system instituted by the British in Pal-
lishment of the State. On their installation,
estine, immediately abrogated all restrictive political
Knesset members voted themselves salaries
laws. This move, which parallels the action of the
equivalent to those of skilled laborers in Israel
first American Congress, has resulted in a legal system
and, after considerable debate, allotted cost-
of-living bonuses to those members with de-
pendent children.
Israel's first Knesset has two Arab mem-
bers and maintains a simultaneous translation
staff for the rendition of Hebrew into Arabic.
One of the Arab legislators; however, recently
arose and delivered an address in fluent Hebrew
to the delighted assembly, which arose and ac-
corded him an ovation.
JUST LIKE A STORE ON BROADWAY: This mod-
em clothing store in Jerusalem could be on Broad-
way or Michigan Boulevard or Woodward Avenue
or Broad Street or any other famous American
thoroughfare. The clothing compares in quality
and style to the best available in any land. Israel's
clothing and textile industries will share in the
large-scale economic expansion to be made pos-
sible by the $500,000,000 State of Israel Bond
Issue to be on sale about May 1.
Watermelons from the Desert:
Truth in Tall Tales of Israel
The tall story, an integral part
of America's pioneering tradi-
tion, arrived -in Israel a few
months ago. Israel's version of
the unbelievable tale concerned
the farmer who announced that
he had planted watermelons in
the rocky,, desert area at the far
tip of the country—and harvest-
ed a crop bursting with juice,
one of which was eaten by the
Prime Minister.
In actuality, the part of the
country which produced the
mythical watermelon has not
supported so much as a blade of
grass in more than 2,000 years.
That part of Israel which
stretches southward from the
Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba
where Solomon once maintained
a bustling seaport, today boasts
a single tamarisk tree and some
peaked scrub as its natural veg-
etable life. Its animal. life is
limited to vultures, scorpions,
deadly adders and large yellow
lizards. And here Israel is
growing watermelons, one of
which did grace the Prime Min-
ister's table not long ago.
Israel's agricultural experi-
mentation in the southern Negev
—the desert and semi-desert
area which comprises 60 per cent
of the entire country— parallels
30 years of tall-story transfor-
mation of the barren earth of
Palestine into cultivated land.
With it goes a tall-story accom-
paniment in the planned change
of a substantial portion of the
Jewish population—traditionally
an urban people—into farmers.
Swamp draining activities : re-
forestation of eroded hillsides
and sand dunes and extensive
irrigation were the instruments
of the reclamation process nec-
essary to the growth of. Israel's
two chief forms of farming —
citriculture for an export econ-
omy and diversified farming to
supply the country with food-
stuffs for local consumption
When Israel achieved state-
hood, the nation set itself an
immigration gm., which has al-
ready double(' the population of
the country. The government
immediately embarked upon an
accelerated agricultural program
with the two-fold purpose , of
absorbing a high proportion of
the new immigrants into the
agricultural" economy and ren-
dering the country self-suffici-
ent in staple foods.
In the past year, Israel has
increased its cultivated land, to
almost one million acres, trebled
vegetable growth—with 56 dif-
ferent vegetables now being
grown — pushed cereal produc-
tion up to one-quarter of the
country's needs, trebled produc-
tion of dairy foods and doubled
the complement of fish ponds
for the breeding of carp.
Today, with an estimated im-
migration of some 600,000 in the
next three years, Israel is float-
ing in the U. S. a $500,000,000
bond issue to finance the fur-
ther consolidation and develop-
ment of Israel's commercial and
agricultural economy.
Water.---either too much or too
little of it—has been Israel's
chief problem in -land reclama-
tion. The country runs the
gamut from the fertile, well
watered lands in the north to
the rainless, barren area of the
"deep south" with a few huge
swamps thrown in for good mea-
sure. Israel's Bond issue will
finance an irrigation plan. Sim-
ultaneously, the swampy lands
of the Huleh Lake district north
of - the Sea of Galilee will be
drained to release large tracts
of soil - for intensive agriculture.
The most sweeping agricultur-
al measures in Israel's master
plan for the future concern the
Negev. In the rainy north of
this vast empty tract are thou-
sands of acres of wheat and
cereal land which some observ-
ers have compared to Kansas
hinterland. Here Israel has sown
barley for the first time and a
yield of 40,000 tons is expected.
G o v ernmental experimental
stations in the southern Negev
are now working with small
plots of earth which are the
only green spots for mile on mile
of eroded, dusty desert. Fruit
trees will be an excellent Negev
crop and the soutl.. of Israel can
grow almost any tropical fruit,
including avocado, mango, dates,
pineapple and bananas. .Arid ; , of
cours, watermelon,.
Knesset proceedings are recorded daily in a pub--
lication much like America's Congressional Record and
Israelis have had opportunities to read of many Knes-
set decisions in the past years. They include legisla-
tion on:
Compulsory education, which did not exist under
the Mandatory rule and now provides free schooling
for all Israeli children up to the age of fifteen.
Free elections with the provision that 3,000 signa-
tures are necessary to the inclusion of a political party
eligible for election to the country's law-giving bodies.
Child marriage, formerly sanctioned and now pro-
hibited, with heavy penalties for violation of the new
law.
National military service, providing for two years
of service for all young men. Farmers and others
adjudged necessary to the country's security and the
growth of the economy are exempt.
Independence Day, celebrated in Israel by Jew,
Christian and Arab alike with parades, parties, street
dancing and—last time—a Marx Brothers' movie pro-
jected on the white walls of Israel's modern houses.
Israel's Rapidly Growing Textile Industry
The textile industry of Israel years provides for the elimina-
is based on a long history in tion of those gaps and for the
textile manufacturing among expansion of the productive
the Jews of Poland and Czecho- capacity of the industry for
slovakia. The immigrants from both the internal and the ex-
these countries brought with ternal market. During the first
them know-how, experience and eleven months of 1950, about
executive ability in many one million pounds of textile
branches of textile production. products were exported.
This made it possible for the
Under Israel's three-year de-
local industry to increase its velopment program, which is to
volume Of production, not only be financed largely through the
to meet domestic needs but also $500,000,000 State of Israel "In-
for distribution in foreign mar- dependence" Bond Issue, there
kets.
will be a large-scale expansion
Despite its very substantial of the textile industry. For ex-
progress, the textile industry ample, it is planned to erect
has not reached the stage where a cotton spinning mill for the
its imports can be confined to production of medium yarns
only those raw materials which with an annual capacity of
are not available 'domestically. about 1.400 tons; this plant will
Important gaps still exist in its have 25,000 spindles. A 30,000-
development. I n v estment in spindle plant will produce fine
the production program for the yarns of which approximately
textile industry for the coming , half will be exported. A 12,000-
spindle plant will produce
coarse and medium yarns. As a
result of this expansion of spin-
ning facilities the production of
cotton yarn will be almost
doubled.
Weaving facilities will also be
greatly expanded during the
next three years. Among the
plants to be established are
weaving mills for the manufac-
ture of sheeting, poplin and tar-
paulin, as well as worsted cloth
and suitings. A large proportion
of - the production of these
plants will be for export.
It is planned to erect 20 rel-
atively small flax processing
plants in the vicinity of the flax
,plantations. A special flax spin-
ning mill for processing long
fibres will have between 20,000
and 25,000 spindles, and will
produce about 2,700 tons of yarn
annually. The short fibres will
be cottonized and then pro-
cessed in any one of the coun-
try's cotton spinning mills,
which have to be enlarged to
handle the additional raw ma-
terial.
The textile industry is one of
the most important branches of
Israel's entire economy. Its ex-
pansion and development with
funds provided through the
State of Israel Bond Issue will
strengthen Israel's internal
economy and broaden its export
market.
Fishino, and Bankinff:
Bond Issue Projects
SEEDS THAT WILL GROW ON ISRAEL'S FARMS: Bags of
seeds are unloaded from a Swedish ship at Haifa, Israel's chief
port and largest center of maritime traffic in the Middle East.
A portion of the funds derived from the sale of the $500,000,-
000 State of Israel Bond Issue will be used to apply improved
techniques to agriculture, and to help make the Jewish State
independent of imports to meet the food needs of its rapidly
growing population.
Fishing, one of Israel's import-
ant sources of food, has shown
a remarkable increase during
the past few years. The total
catch rose from 2,500 tons three
years ago to 8,000 tons last year.
Through the $500,000,000 State
of ,Israel Bond Issue, new equip-
ment will be provided and new
fishermen trained; the annual
catch by 1953 is exp .cted to be
approximately i'..2,000 tons.
One of the most important
projects to be financed through
the Bond Issue will be an Agri-
cultural Bank, which will grant
long-term credits at low rates
for investment purposes. This
Bank will make loans to older
settlements for development
purposes_