Premier Yitzhav Rabin, who told 300 American Jewish community leaders here last night that the fate and future of the Jewish State would be determined by the events of the next 12 months, appealed to his fellow countrymen today for unity in solving Israel’s pressing social and economic problems.
Without consolidating its internal economic and social position in accordance with its national values, there can be no basis on which Israel can build its defenses, Rabin declared at a special meeting of the Labor Party’s Tel Aviv branch this morning. “On the eve of my departure for talks in Washington, I know too well the difficulties facing us in this field.” he said.
Rabin called for the establishment of new attitudes by the public. “We can change the attitude toward labor, the laborer’s morale, the distribution of the national wealth–all this can be done without any help from outside,” Rabin told his Labor Party colleagues. He stressed the need to return to the era “when everybody cared, when everybody had the feeling of partnership.” He said this was attainable through understanding, cooperation and dialogue.
Addressing the closing dinner last night in Jerusalem of the three-day special 1974 Prime Ministers Mission of United Jewish Appeal, Rabin warned that resumption of hostilities was a real possibility. “We have learned that unless we are strong, no one will save us. The nation’s leadership has explored every avenue toward peace, and if another war breaks out the people must know that it is because we have no alternative,” Rabin said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
