Adamant Ben-Gurion Is Urged to Accept Mapai Convention Verdict on Lavon

TEL AVIV (JTA)—An appeal
to former Premier David Ben-
Gurion to accept the ruling of the
majority of the Mapai convention
on the Lavon Affair and on a
limited alignnient with the Ahdut
Avodah Party was voiced Monday
by Kaddish Luz, speaker of the
Israel parliament, who is among
the top Mapai leaders.
The convention, which concluded
last weekend, approved a request
from Prime Minister Levi Eshkol
—opposed by Ben-Gurion—that the
party put aside the internal battle
over a new inquiry into the cir-
cumstances of a 1954 security mis-
hap when Pinhas Lavon was de-
fense minister.
Eshkol's stand was backed at the
convention by 60 per cent of the
votes in a secret ballot. The other
40 per cent of the delegates, sup-
porters of Ben-Gurion, were beaten
on a proposal that the convention
identify itself in principle with
Ben-Gurion's demand for a new
probe of the 1954 disaster in which
Ben-Gurion forced Lavon out of
the ministry.
By similar margins, the conven-
tion approved a proposal for Mapai
to resume efforts for a limited
alignment with Ahdut Avodah.
The effect of the voting was to en-
dorse Eshkol's formula that the
question of a new investigation of
the Lavon Affair be left to the
discretion of Mapai representatives
in the government. More than 90
per cent of the 2,226 delegates cast
votes.
Eshkol expressed satisfaction
with the voting, and Ben-Gurion's
supporters hailed the 40 per cent
minority vote as "a moral victory."
The Premier said: "It is the end
of bitter discussion. I am happy
the convention accepted the prin-
ciple of alignment and the prin-
ciple that the Lavon Affair was
left a matter for individual judg-
ment of Mapai ministers."
He said that the party had
emerged "stronger and united
with no feeling of fantaicism, no
feeling of defeat for any of the
groups."
A few hours after the conven-
tion ended, Ben-Gurion's support-
ers came to his home singing and
chanting "For he's a jolly good
fellow." The former premier, who
was already in bed, came to the
window to wave at his greeters.
Whether he was satisfied with
*
*

the convention judgment was not
immediately known. He had said
repeatedly at the convention, and
before the convention, that he
would continue his fight for
"truth and justice" and for a
judicial investigation of the
Lavon case even if he were ex-
pelled from the party.
The delegates adopted a wide-
ranging group of resolutions. One
called on the Soviet Union to recog-
nize the justice of the historic de-
sires of Russian Jewry, to allow
reunification of Jewish families
torn apart in the Hitler holocaust,
to give full equality to Russian
Jews as individuals and as a cul-
tural group not only by law but
by deeds, and to permit cultural,
religious and spiritual contacts be-
tween Soviet Jews and world
Jews.
The delegates also called for in-
creased aliyah and preparation for
it by intensifying preparation of
Jewish youth in other countries
to settle in Israel. Integration of
immigrants and expansion of edu-
cation also were urged.
They denounced West Germany's .
surrender to Egyptian "blackmail"
in the suspension of arms ship-
ments to Israel and expressed
"profound revulsion" over Bonn's
"surrender which is entirely in-
compatible with the moral obliga-
tion that rests on a Germany which
seeks to liberate itself from its
bloodstained past."
Concluding the long and bitter
debate on the Ben-Gurion de-
mand, Eshkol told the conven-
tion: "I always thought only Ben-
Gurion could lead the nation.
But after he resigned—once and
twice—and I was entrusted with
forming a government, I shall
ask your confidence for four
more years."
He said it was a "mistake" to
bring the Lavon issue to the con-
vention, adding: "However, Ben-
Gurion can, if he so wishes, con-
tinue his efforts in this respect."
Ben-Gurion created a govern-
mental crisis last year by demand-
ing the creation of a judicial com-
mittee and by castigating the work
of a seven-member ministerial
committee which had cleared
Lavon of responsibility for the se-
curity mishap.
Bitterness over Ben-Gurion's ad-
amant stand for a new inquiry
*

Knesset to Argue Publication in Press
of B-G-Commissioned 'Lavon Affair'

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to
. The Jewish News)

JERUSALEM — Israel's parlia-
ment will debate the publication
in the press of excerpts of "The
Lavon Affair" after submission of
motions for debates submitted by
the Herut and Liberal parties.
The book was written by a

journalist, Haggai Eshed, on in-
structions of former Prime Mini-
ster David Ben-Gurion in his

lengthy battle for a new investiga-
tion of the 1954 security mishap
which brought the ouster of Pinhas
Lavon as defense minister.
Although parts of the book were
cleared by Israeli military censors,
the defense ministry issued a
warning against publication be-
cause the book was commissioned
when Ben-Gurion was defense
minister and therefore considered
There is much power in the government property. Ben-Gurion
novel "The Trap" by John Know- ignored the warning.
Members of the cabinet voiced
ler, published by Knopf.
It is the story of an art collector, regret over publication of excerpts
the book after Preimer Levi
of an expert who specialized in from
Eshkol brought the issue before
works by Rembrandt, but who also the cabinet. The Premier was ex-
displayed nudes.
pected to. announce the govern-

'The Trap': Fine
Novel by Knowler

A 17-year-old girl, Mary, was
employed by Wilhelm Schultz as
a stenographer. She also did er-
rands for him. -
In many respects there were
frightening moments during her
services for him. There was a mys-
tery about him and his wife, and
the charwoman, who took care of
the Schultz home, whenever she
could speak to Mary, condemned
the Schultzes: "Never trust a
Kraut and never trust a Jew. . ."
Mary was not molested, but she
became dispirited. She decided to
give up her job, but remained fas-
cinated by her employer. His death
ended the employment.
The story is full of intrigue. The
narrative is so splendidly told that
the reader will be glued to the
book with a deep interest.

ment's position during the Knesset
debate.
The left-wing Mapai Party sub-
mittend to the premier Wednesday
a parlimentary question asking
why, if the cabinet had agreed
that publication would be harmful

and that the content was defense
ministry property, the government
had not acted to prevent publica-
tion.

Noted Architect
Delissa Joseph, a noted British-
Jewish architect, designed many of
London's public buildings and is
believed to be the only British
architect ever to have designed a
London street—FitzGeorge Avenue
in West Kensington.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 26, 1965-11

spilled into the open Feb. 17. Ben-
Gurion demanded, in a -90-minute
speech, that the party repudiate
the findings of the ministerial
committee, of which both Ashkol
and Foreign Minister Golda Meir
had been members, insisting on
the naming of a judicial commis-
sion to probe the 1954 mishap
again.
He was challenged by Moshe
Sharett, who had been premier
in 1954. Brought to the Mann
Auditorium convention site in
a wheelchair, the ailing former
premier and foreign minister
warned Ben-Gurion that he alone
was imperiling the party. He
called on the party "once and
for all to throw away this night-
mare and start breathing again."
Before Ben-Gurion made his ad-
dress, the 4,000 persons jamming
the auditorium heard Mrs. Izhak
Ben-Zvi, widow of Israel's second
president, make a dramatic appeal
for party unity and productive
action. Turning to Ben-Gurion, she
asked: "What is it you want from
us?"
Deputy Premier Abba Eban and
Mrs. Meir bluntly criticized Ben
Gurion. Eban made an effort to
phrase his criticism softly, but Mrs.
Meir hit hard at the former pre-
mier. Directly addressing her in-
furiated former leader, Mrs. Meir
asked: "Why did you not resign
when the Committee of Seven was
established? Why did you later
form a cabinet with members of
that committee? Why did you not
mention your demand for a judi-
cial committee when Eshkol form-
ed a new cabinet?" She answered
the last question herself by re-
marking, "If you had, most of the
ministers would not have joined
the cabinet."
She also said that Ben-Gurion
had given his "blessing" when
Eshkol reported to him in a hos-
pital where he had been recuper-
ating from illness, that the Lavon
Affair would be studied by the
seven-member ministerial com-
mittee.
Denouncing Ben-Gurion for act-

ing in the case "both as judge and
prosecutor," she flared up when
Ben-Gurion called out that the
findings of the ministerial com-
mittee were "falsities." She re-
torted, "I voted for the findings
and they don't need any kind of
whitewashing."
Former Agriculture Minister
Moshe Dayan and Deputy Defense
Minister Shimon Peres spoke out
in support of Ben-Gurion, but with
reservations. Police Minister Behor
Shitreet and party leader David
Hacohen both appealed to him to
"let the matter rest."
The old warrior, rejecting both
criticism and appeals, said he
would keep up his fight even if he
was expelled from the party.
Angered by Mrs. Meir's attack,

Peres and others met Feb. 18 with
Ben-Gurion to persuade him to re-
turn.
He agreed to do so, reiterating
he would not give up his fight.
Previously, efforts were made by
President Shazar to end the deep
rift between Ben-Gurion and Pre-
mier Eshkol, but with no result.

he walked out of the convention.
A special delegation which includ-

ed Housing Minister Yosef Almogi,

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