Page 54 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - October 19
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DAVID BEN GURION (1886-1973)
YEHUDA ERDMAN
D the victims of Nazism. However, Ben Gurion
avid Ben Gurion was the first Prime
won that argument and Israel benefitted from
Minister of Israel, and was instrumental
in proclaiming the Declaration of
th
Independence on 14 May 1948 (my birthday!). money and arms from Germany. As mentioned,
Ben Gurion was highly principled and judged
He was a charismatic and highly principled others harshly at times. When Ben Gurion
leader of the Zionist movement, who arguably resigned from politics, Levi Eshkol became
took over from Chaim Weizmann. Mr Prime Minister of Israel, but Ben Gurion did not
Weizmann had forged a very close link to the consider him fit for the post.
British Government from around 1900 and A much bigger rift came over the so-called
believed that the colonisation of Palestine should Lavon affair. Lavon was Minister of Defence
be enhanced by a step by step building up of the and there was a disaster in Egypt when Israeli
Yishuv. His achievements included persuading spies were captured and executed. Ben Gurion
the British Government to pass the Balfour was convinced that Lavon gave the order for this
Declaration in 1917.
operation and refused to accept otherwise. He
Ben Gurion led the Zionists from Eretz Yisrael forced Lavon to resign but many of his
and was the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, colleagues in Mapai disagreed with Ben Gurion.
which was a Government in waiting. He also His response was to found a breakaway Labour
founded a political party named Mapai (an party called Rafi, together with Dayan and Peres,
acronym for the Workers of the Land of Israel). which did not get many votes in the election.
Ben Gurion was born in Plotsk (Poland) and Ben Gurion and Menachem Begin were both in
grew up in a traditional Jewish family. He thrall to the Sabras like Moshe Dayan and Ariel
became a Zionist and immigrated to Palestine in Sharon, who they thought represented the new
1906 as part of the Second Aliya. He and his type of Jew - men of few words but tough and
friend Yitzchak Ben Zvi (who later became the capable of great things. Included in this cadre
second President of Israel) decided to study law were Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres (who was
in Constantinople but were obliged to leave for from Belarus).
the USA to avoid jail in the Ottoman Empire for
subversive activities (Zionism). In the War of Independence, Begin led the Etzel,
which had its own command structure and raised
In the Zionist movement, the big split came funds in the USA to buy arms. The Altalena, a
when Jabotinsky broke away from the World ship loaded with arms and men sailed for Israel.
Zionist Organization and founded the After demanding that the arms be handed over to
Revisionist movement. After his death, the IDF, which the Etzel refused, Ben Gurion
Menachem Begin, who had been a leader of the ordered the IDF to sink the ship. In fairness, Ben
right-wing Betar youth movement in Poland, Gurion ordered the Palmach, the Kibbutz based
took over and strongly opposed Ben Gurion on strike force closely allied to the left-wing,
many issues. He especially opposed Ben Gurion Mapam party, to disband as well. Ben Gurion
in his policy of rapprochement with West was a visionary who foresaw the need for the
Germany, which Begin considered a betrayal of
IDF to be independent of politics.
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