Lowdermilk Jordan Plan: A Boon to the Arabs THA Ew s i IlFtVISH NEWS I fel Read Commentator's Column on Page 2 VOLUME I 9—No. 21 of Jewish Events ONLY English Jewish Newspaper Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle 708 David Stott. Bldg.—Phone WO. 5-1155 Detroit, Mithigan, August 3, 1951 Michigan's .400 $4.00 Per Year; Single Copy, 10c Mapai-General Zionist Coalition Inevitable G Gains, But Labor in Minority; Middl Class Has Balance Power Israel As an Oil Producer Development Rights Go To Americans; British Concessions Cancelled The New York Herald Tribune, in an article from Washington by James M. Minifie, this week reported that there are indications that "Israel may become a major oil- producing power." This conclusion is based on a report now nearing completion by an American firm of petroleum geo- logists after a thorough survey of Israeli territory. The preliminary report, it is learned, tells of the discovery of "picture-book domes" usually associated with prolific oil pools -- TEL AVIV—(By American Jewish PresS Cable)—The rocketing 'rise of the middle-class General Zionists to Israel's second largest party and the refusal of the more than '8.50,000 Israel voters in the second national election on Monday to give the Socialist Mapai an absolute majority pointed to another uneasy coali- tion government for the Jewish state. With more than two-thirds of the vote counted, .Mapai climbed from 36 per cent in the first Israel Knesset election to 37 per cent in Monday's balloting, but it was far short of an absolute majority. B-G, Bernstein Ready for Coalition Government Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News TEL AVIV—Premier David Ben-Gurion, commenting on Wednesday on the results of the election, deplored the failure of his party to attain a stable majority, but declared that the Labor Party would remain at the helm in guiding the country's destiny. Dr. Peretz Bernstein, leader of the General Zionists, who emerged the second strongest party, expressed the readiness of his party to enter into a governmept coalition. The latest official returns with only 30 of the 1,500 election precincts missing, are, in percentages: Mapai, 37.1;- General Zionists, 16.4; Mapam, 12.3; Poale Hamizrachi, 6.8; Herut, 6.6; Communists, 3.9; Progressives, 3.3; Poale Agudath Israel, 2; Sefardim, 1.7; Agudath Israel, 1.6; Mizrachi, .1.5; and the three Arab parties, 4.9. All other lists received less than 1 per cent each, Additional Cables on Page 3 in the Negeb. It describes circumstantial surface confirmation of the presence of oil in the shape of gas escapes in other parts of the territory. The latest seismological techniques were used in the survey which indicates: "Each of the eight geologic prov- inces has oil . possibilities. The most promising are the Negeb, the foothills of Judea, the coastal plain and the Dead Seo-Wadi Araba Rift Valley." 114r. Minifie reports that the Israel government has cancelled blanket oil prospecting concessions granted by Great Britain in the days of its rule as the Mandatory power in Palestine and is preparing to open the territory to American oil men for explora- tion and sreVelopment on liberal competitive terms comparable to thoSe prevailing in the United States. The new petroleum act is being prepared for Israel by Max W. and Douglas Ball, the petroleum exploration firm which made the survey. During his visit in Detroit in May, Israel Premier David Ben- Gurion confirmed reports that there are oil deposits in the Negeb. Later, in Chicago, on the eve of his return to Israel, Mr. Ben- Gurion conferred with a number of prominent heads of oil pro- ducing companies. . The State Department, according to Mr. Minifie, "is watching developments closely, since Israel and Turkey are the only two Middle Eastern countries with a Western approach." Mr. Minifie ,states that W. Ball, the Geological engineer who prepared the report cautioned that despite all favorable signs, "you never know where there is oil until you find it." He said that some of the formulations in Israel "look more favorable than some of our good producing territories in the United States, before drilling ... There are thick sections of sedimenrary beds in which oil is formed, beautiful strata for the accumulation of oil and a fair Abundance of surface seepages." Iran Blocks Visas for U.S. Jews, Isolates JDC Chief; Leaders Fear Big Exodus NEW YORK (AJP)—Reports that American Jews have suddenly encountered serious difficulties in getting visas for Iran was added this week to a mounting list of _ developments pointing to Iran as the next Arab state likely to expel its Jews. Any mass expulsion of Iran's 80,000 Jews would pose a • tremendous new threat to Israel's already strained immi- - gration program. . Another development was the disclosure that Stanley Abramovitz, Joint Distribution Committee official stationed in Teheran, has been virtually isolated• in the Iranian capi- tal. Abramovitz, the American Jewish Press learned, can no longer leave Teheran without police permission. Both Jewish Agency and United Jewish Appeal leaders in the United States were frankly worried. The Damascus radio for the past month has been steadily predicting that Iran would be the next Arab coun- try to institute what it termed "compulsory repatriation" of its Jews. Another development 'which increased the worries of Jewish officials about Iran was that state's action in closing its consulate in Jerusalem on July 7. Iran was one of the few Moslem states which did not participate in the 1948 in- vasions of Palestine. The effect of a sudden -mass exodus of almost 100,000 Iranian Jews into Israel was viewed here as serious. Any such heavy migration added to the steady flow of European refugees now jamming the Jewish State's .absorbtive re- sources would pose a serious problem, Jewish officials here admitted. - They expressed hope that any such mass expulsion by the nationalist-pressed Iranian government could be averted:. —American Jewish Press Radio Photo by Pinn B-G at Israel Poles in First Radio Photo Like any one of the more than 800,000 Israelis who turned out for Monday's important national elections, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion appeared at the registratio4 booth to have his name checked off prior to casting his vote. A woman clerk smilingly gives B-G the go- ahead. Minutes later he cast his ballot. This photo is the first ever to be sent directly froni Israel to the United States by radio for the English-Jewish press—by the news agency of the American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, the American Jewish Press. For the com- plete story behind this photo see page 12. Also see editorial on p age 4. ,•{1, 7 rsI•lr,7 v•:1. * v.> . x‘i '•"! • ;; t Israel Voter's Card: —Courtesy Israel Speaks the Israel Ministry of Interior to all eligible voters. The top line shows the voter's , identity .number, poling station number, given and family name, street address and city. On the left, the voter is informed that his name is on the list- of eligible voters, that he must cast his vote This is a sample of the card issued by in the assigned -poling place., and notify the elections committee of errors at once.