AGAIN BEN-GURION SIR.—I consider the 'Herut Movement' in Israel to
be a 'fascist' one, because : 1. There exists a close similarity between this party's views and terminology and those of the Italian Fascists, and the leaders of Herut before the Second World War expressed often and openly their sympathies for the Italian Corporative State, and even maintained close contacts with Mussolini's Italy.
2. According to the Herut ideology, the nation is not divided into social classes with antagonistic in- terests, but on the contrary—the only important interests worth fighting for are those of the whole nation, i.e., only the 'national issues.'
3 This explains Herut's opposition and fight
against all the Labour Parties as such, against the General Trade Union Federation, against class- struggle, strikes, Red Flag, May Day celebrations, the kibbutz movement, and socialism and internationalism in general.
4. One of the most typical attributes of Herut is its social demagogy: on the one hand, its close connections with industry and trade, and negotiations with the Conservatives ('General Zionists') for merger; and on the other hand, its unrestrained propaganda amongst the backward oriental immigrants—against the 'system,' the 'settled, organised and privileged "old timers",' etc.
5. Herut has a policy of combining parliamentary 'democratic' opposition with militarised youth and other organisations, and playing with slogans of 'national revolution.' Already under the British Mandate, they opposed Professor Weizmann's 'Practical Zionism,' despised the pioneering efforts of the other youth organisations, and developed a mystic cult of military training, terminology, uniforms and symbols. They built up their own military splinter organisation—rival to the general-national 'Haganah' (Self-Defence), and carried out terrorist acts not only against the British, but also against political rivals within the Jewish community : so they were deeply involved in the assassination of Haim Arlosoroff, one of the most outstanding leaders of Mai* (1933).
6. Last but not least, there is their extreme and uninhibited chauvinism which poisoned, and con- tinues to poison, the Youth; and which found, and finds, its expression in the slogan of 'A Jewish State on both sides of the Jordan'; in the massacre of Arab villagers in Dir Yassin (during the War of Liberation), and in their criticism of Ben-Gurion's alleged 'weak- ness and cowardice' towards the neighbouring Arab States.. .
I hope to have made it clear, even if only in brief, why the Israeli Labour Movement, in all its sections, speaks of `Herut' in terms of fascists: —Yours faithfully, PERETZ MERHAV Representative of Mapam in Great Britain 37 Broadhurst Gardens, NW6
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