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SEND CONVERSATIONS OF THE ADVISOR OF THE MISSION OF THE USSR IN ISRAEL ML. MUKHIN WITH ISRAELI CITIZEN S.V. TSIRULNIKOV

August 13, 1948 z.

Secret

(Extracts S.M)

(…)

Currently, the main political force is the Mapai Party, the Palestinian Workers' Party, which is most represented in the State Council and in the government. All of its leaders, in particular Ben-Gurion, Shertok, Remez, and others, hold key government posts. The party also dominates the trade unions. The Davar newspaper, which is formally the organ of the Histadrut, actually serves as the organ of the party.

The proportion of the Mapai party in the labor movement is about 60% and 40% - in national political life.

The second party in this respect is Mapam - the United Workers' Party, which has two portfolios in the government: public works and agriculture - and a serious influence in the army, since it unites a significant part of the country's agricultural communes, kibbutzim, which are an important reserve for recruiting not only the private, but also the commanding staff of the army. This party was created by uniting Akhdut ha-avoda - "Unity of Labor" with Poalei Zion - "Workers of Zion" and with the party Hashomer ha-tsair - "Young Guard". Party leaders: Tabenkin, Hari Heder, Sne (Kleinbaum). The Communist Party is extremely small and does not enjoy significant influence.

The Provisional Government of Israel in its present composition is not in fact renounced a pro-British orientation and, as a tribute to the times, is ready to cooperate in many respects with the United States. Anti-England governments have nothing to do with the real thoughts of their authors. This is just an attempt to increase their prestige in the eyes of the British, to show that they are worth doing, that they can be of interest to them. In fact, the current government leaders did nothing to find the right paths for the development of the young state in the face of the split of the world into two camps.

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These leaders came to power at the time of camouflage, on the crest of international events. It is not enough to define their actual attitude towards the Soviet Union as neutral, it is hostile. This is proved by Ben-Gurion's rude and offensive phrase in relation to J.V. Stalin, which he admitted in the circle of his supporters, which has now become known more widely.

During a request to the State Council about the motives that served as the basis for the appointment of Golda Meyerson as an envoy to the USSR, Shertok replied that Meyerson is strong because she is not able to be guided by feelings of sympathy and go along with other people's policies. At the same time, her pro-American views are well known. As for Weizmann, he is now kept in the shadows, because he is too entangled in the English networks, and this circumstance can harm now not only his personal authority, but also general politics.

The desire of our leadership to go to direct negotiations with Arabs - nothing more than a desire to find a common language with the top of the Arab circles, which are directly dependent on the Anglo-American masters.

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Even the war with the Arabs itself wore, unfortunately, in many cases, not the nature of the liberation movement, but a nationalist war, accompanied by completely unnecessary repression and robbery of the Arab population, i.e. and in this case, there was no unity of action necessary and useful for strengthening the prestige of Israel's policy. These are the first days of the confused and complex life of our state.

Tsirulnikov led the underground youth Zionist organizations, shared the Menshevik program. For his activities he was repressed and spent a long time in many prisons in various cities of the Union. In 1928 allegedly at the request of a number of Jewish Palestinian organizations, he was allowed to leave for Palestine. At present, he is a companion of the owner of one international trade enterprise, which provides him with an independent economic position. He sees political independence in his broad theoretical training ("unlike the current leaders of the country"), he completely shares the Marxist ideology, which gave him the opportunity to free himself from loads of old mistakes. He is not a member of any party; this gave him the opportunity in difficult conditions to freely and independently act and work in favor of the Soviet Union. Recently, he has been mainly engaged in personal affairs, he is going to write a book criticizing his previous positions.

Tsirulnikov leaves the impression of a rather developed and informed person.

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Counselor to the USSR Mission in Israel

M. Mukhin

AVP RF, f. 089, op. 1, p. 1, d. 4, l. 30-33.