Israel at the Cross-Roads
Israel has lived in a condition of chronic crisis ever since the State was born four years ago. But during the last few weeks even the citizens of Israel themselves have begun to realise that there is something unusually serious about the latest manifestations of their perennial crisis. The forced loan, which drained off about £25 million from bank deposits, can do little by itself to rectify the situation, though it may serve as a dramatic warning to the country of the danger it faces. In fact Israel is now at the parting of the ways. What is happen- ing is the death of the old-style Zionism, and the emergence of Israel. Zionism was a faith, and could sustain itself by faith; Israel is a State, and can only sustain itself by the humdrum methods available to all other States—by a balanced trade and a stable currency. For four years the leaders of Israel have tried to meet their trading deficit with their vast reserves of faith. The experiment could not succeed. The most significant break with the past that has been sponsored by Mr. Ben-Gurion's Government is a slowing-up in the rate of immigration. Hitherto to suggest in Israel that immigration should in any way be restricted was to be branded with the stigma of the mandatory. Now the rate pf the' flow has been slowed down to about 1,500 a month (ironically' this is the same rate of immigration which was fixed by the mandatory Government during its last year, and which brought upon its servants such a flow of abuse—and worse). But it is only common-sense to try to create order within Israel's borders before bringing in more immigrants, whose absorbtion, is a long and costly business.
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