Stranica 2 [2]
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by a number of outstanding intellectkals, such as Galili, the
former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army. What helped this se¬
cession was the arrest of Mr. Oren, M/P. a member of Mapem and
faithful Communist, who was arrested in Prague because of his
friendship with the equally jewish Slansky. Despite all these
facts,nevertheless, the moderate leaders where not ubie to draw
with them larger masses, In fact their secession took very few
members away from MAPAM, the bulk of the followers remaining loyal
to Dr. Sneh, who in turn continues on the Moscow line. Neverthe=
less, the crisis remains latent in Mapam, especisliy if Moscow
shottd pebilicly declare agtinst Zionism, The best Jewish obser~
vers believe, that in that case roughly 30% of Mapam would
chose Zionism, while the other members would find a way for en
understanding with the official Communist Party, the MI.
the Mki hus followed from the beginning another tuctie
> a at
than the MAPAM, In fact both movements were playing the seme game
with diffemt groups : while Sneh's group was playing along with
tee Zionist eiment, MKI was chnsistently working for Arab-—Jewish
friendship end was trying to organise the Arabs in a Communist
sense, The MAI beigmg in Israel the only party permitted to pure
sue such a liwe, it is not astonishing that they were able to
Sain a large following emong the unhappy Arab elements, leading
up to the recent surprise municipal electionin Nazareth, when.
with the help of the Arabs and the Greek Orthodox elements, the
Communists were able to score 42% of the votes. This was espe=
cielly a surprise, es last yeer only the MKI had been able to gain
3.9% of the votes for parliament. It is interesting to note,
that MKI at its recent Tel Aviv Wongress, expressed itself as
opposed to the Israeli Army, to military serviceover one year,
and cemandd the immediate return to Is: ael of a11 the Arab re.
fugecs.
The third end newest force for the expansion of Commu_
nism in Israel is the Fussian Palestine Society, organized at the
beginning of this year in Moscow. This Society was originally
founded in RassianCzarist times, to promote the interests of the
Russian Orthodoxy in the Holy lands, to counteract the Greek
iffGlence thep and to obtuin that one day a Russian be appointed
as the Patriarch of Jerusulem. In the course of its Russian subsi¬
dized activities, the Russian Palestine Society acquired huge
lends, Churchespf, Convents and Hospitals, With the Russian Revo¬
lution the Society was disbanded, to be re-started only this
year. It is now demanding before both the Israeli and the Jordan
courts the paiw return of the o1d properties of the Society,
and has, on best opinog, an excellent chance to achieve this.
The direciion of the Society belongs in Palestine to two Russian
Activists. But it is inspired by the newly appointed Russian Or¬
t t
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44.