An early Zionist, Ben-Gurion moved to Palestine in 1906 to take up farming. Following his expulsion by Turkey at the outbreak of World War I, he rallied British and American support to promote increased Jewish immigration to Palestine, and after spending decades strengthening Palestine’s Jewish community, Ben-Gurion proclaimed the birth of Israel on May 14, 1948. He assisted in creating the Israeli army, often using military force to thwart Arab violence. After announcing his intention to leave public life, Ben-Gurion moved to the newly founded Negev Kibbutz Sde-Boker in early 1954. He never completely abdicated his leadership role, however, and in 1955 Ben-Gurion returned to public life, first as minister of defense, in which capacity he wrote our letter, and, in the November 1955 election, succeeded Moshe Sharet (1894-1965) as prime minister, an office he would hold until 1963 while simultaneously acting as minister of defense.
Born in modern Belarus, then part of Russia, Hazan was one of the first members of the HeHalutz youth agricultural settlement movement in Poland, relocating to Palestine in 1923, where he was a leader in the kibbutz movement, the secular Jewish Labor Zionist youth movement Hashomer Hatzair and a co-founder of the Marxist United Workers Party (Mapam) that grew out of it and which sought to infuse Zionism with Socialism. After his election to the first Knesset in 1949, he eschewed ministerial appointments to instead continue to focus on Hashomer Hatzair. A strident Marxist and staunch supporter of the Soviet Union, Hazan declared the U.S.S.R. the second homeland of the Jewish people in 1949, despite its hostility to Zionism. Although he eulogized Joseph Stalin after his death, he eventually disavowed Soviet Communism in the early 1950s. He remained in the Knesset until 1973.
Although Ben Gurion’s Mapai party and Mapam were both secular, Ben Gurion initially excluded Mapam from his ruling coalition which included religious Arab and Orthodox Jewish groups, but, with the November 1955 election, the two parties finally formed an alliance.
Written in Ben-Gurion’s capacity as Minister of Defense. Noted in type that a copy, possibly this very communication, was sent to Prime Minister Sharet.
Folded with two file holes in the right margin as well as several pencil dockets and the note, in red, “I have read!” with an unidentified signature underneath. In good condition with normal wear.
