Ben Gurion, David (1886-1973)
né/born David Grün
- Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Any Jewish woman … does not bring … at least 4 children is shirking her duty to the nation” — 1972
In a book. Ben Gurion offered 100 lirot to every woman for the birth of her 10th child. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Israel better rid itself of the territories and their Arab population” — June 10 1967
In a radio statement on June 10, 1967, sees that Israel will impose apartheid in the occupied territories. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Hitler, more than he hurt the Jewish people … hurt the Jewish State” — 1964
Explaining that the genocide of the Jews of Europe was less serious than the reduction in the number of European immigrants to Israel. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “In such a primitive community as the Marrocans - such a thing is possible” — Aug. 3 1959
In a letter to Judge Moshe Etzioni. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “ I’d wish for it (Gaza) to be washed down into the sea” — Oct. 28 1956
Thirty-six years before Yitzhak Rabin’s famous statement, Ben-Gurion made this statement before the Israeli cabinet. Perhaps he was inspired by the myth of the Exodus from Egypt. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel” — 1956
Conversation with Nahum Goldmann. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “As April began, our War of Independence swung decisively from defense to attack” — Apr. 20 1954
In a text or statement dated December 12, 1948, confirms that in April, the Zionists went into a war of conquest. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “It is worthwhile throwing away ... a million dollars” — Feb. 27 1954
Reacting with insults and a lesson in Zionist chutzpah to Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister for the past month, by pushing for the creation of a Maronite state in Lebanon, allied with Israel. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “The danger is that… we will become a Levantine people” — Jan. 1954
Addressing the Mapai Party Central Committee in January 1954, Ben Gurion unabashedly established a hierarchy of Ashkenazi (educated Jews) > "Oriental" (uneducated) Jews > Arabs. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “As fighting spread, the exodus was joined by bedouin and fellahin” — 1954
He himself indicates that the Palestinians were driven out in 1848 before the creation of Israel and the entry of Arab troops. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Hitler … caused damage to the Jewish state, whose coming he did not foresee” — 1954
Weighing, in retrospect, in his own way, the harm caused to the Jews by the genocide of the Jews of Europe. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “We were a company of conquistadores” — 1954
Evoking the beginnings of Zionist colonization in 1917. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If he (Albert Einstein) accepts, we are in trouble” — Nov. 1952
In 1952, Ben Gurion offers Einstein to become the 2nd president of Israel, while fearing that he might accept. Einstein told, later on, « If I were to be president, sometimes I would have to say to the Israeli people things they would not like to hear ». - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “A danger that Israel will be s state without a nation” — 1952
In 1951–52, Ben-Gurion realized that Israel was made up of communities with no shared history that did not constitute a nation. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “The ingathering of the exiles brings us the rabble” — Apr. 1950
At a meeting of the army high command, explaining that the Jewish 'rabble' must be 'rebuilt'. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “These Arabs should not reside here” — 1950
At a Mapai party meeting in late 1950, Ben Gurion expressed his desire to take advantage of a war to remove the Palestinian minority from Israel. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “I doubt if there is any Jewish community which has more thieves than the Polish ones” — Jul. 13 1949
During a session of the "Knesset Committee for the Constitution, Law and Justice", he called Moroccan Jews "savages", but soon recovered as follows. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Israël did no expel even one Arab” — 1949
In all his dialogues with western interlocutors. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “We will not let the Arabs back” — Dec. 18 1948
Then Prime Minister, during a meeting with Yosef Weitz and Ezra Danin. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “I will oppose their return also after the war” — June 16 1948
Barely a month after the proclamation of Israel, Ben Gourion, before ten ministers, declared Israel's definitive opposition to the return of refugees to their homes. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If a war is extended...our greatest gain will be the Galilee” — Apr. 1948
Extract from a protocol of the provisional government, between March and May 1948 according to the context, providing for the conquest of the Galilee attributed to the Palestinian state in 1947. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “All of them together are unable to stand up to us” — Mar. 14 1948
In a report to Moshe Sharett. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “There are no Arabs. One hundred percent Jews.” — Feb. 7 1948
President of the Jewish Agency and mastermind of the Nakba, speculating from February 1948 on a large-scale ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian territory. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Concepts of ours and not ours ...lose their meaning during war” — Feb. 1948
Addressing the leaders of the Jewish National Fund in early February. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If we know the family, strike mercilessly, women and children included” — Jan. 1 1948
Exposing its doctrine of reprisals. - [wrong] Words attributed to David Ben Gurion “We must use terror, assassination, intimidation” — 1948
Apocryphal or wrong quotation or doubtful. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Almost 40 percent non-Jews. Such a composition does not provide a stable basis for a Jewish state” — Dec. 30 1947
Speech to the Central Committee of Histadrut, expressing the Zionist "democratic" conception and the coming ethnic cleansing. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Expulsion of the residents along with the seizure of the place” — Dec. 19 1947
Barely twenty days after the UN General Assembly voted for the establishment of two states, and one month before the arrival of the first ALA fighters opposed to a Jewish state, Ben-Gurion provided the Haganah with rules of engagement, according to which any attack would result in the material or human destruction of the premises. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “At least 80% Jews for a viable and stable state” — Dec. 3 1947
In a speech to the leading members of the Mapai party, Ben-Gurion clearly indicated the ethnic objective to be achieved in the wake of the UN partition plan. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Every school child knows that there is no such thing in history as a final arrangement” — Dec. 3 1947
Writes in his diary, four days after the 1947 UN partition plan and its "acceptance" by Israel. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Consider … a Jewish state in a part ...while reaffirming our right to the whole of Palestine” — Jul. 8 1947
Before the UN commission (UNSCOP) that came to investigate in Palestine. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Hitler did revive… the feeling of jewish nationalism” — Oct. 4 1942
Upon his return from the Biltmore Conference, Ben-Gurion explained to the leaders of the Jewish Agency that democracy, by promoting equal rights for the Jews, is not conducive to Zionism. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “… but Palestine as a Jewish State” — June 1942
On his return to Palestine after the Biltmore conference, Ben-Gurion, a a meeting of the Histadrut Council at Kfar Vitkin,, emphasized that Biltmore referred to a Jewish state in the whole of Palestine. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Complete transfer without compulsion … is hardly imaginable” — Oct. 15 1941
In a memo titled "Contours of Zionist Politics", he wrote. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “At the beginning of the war… the establishment of a Jewish state” — Sep. 12 1939
Twelve days after the outbreak of World War II, Ben Gurion indicated what the Zionist objective in this war would be: to establish a Jewish state. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “For me, Zionist considerations take precedence over Jewish sentiments” — Sep. 11 1939
Speaking before the executive committee of Histadrut against the recruitment of Jews into the allied troops. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If Palestine will not absorb them another territory will. Zionism is endangered” — Dec. 17 1938
Letter to the Zionist Executive expressing the fear that Palestine might not be the only solution to the rescue of European Jews. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “I support compulsory transfer. I don't see anything immoral in it” — June 12 1938
In a joint meeting of the Jewish Agency and the Committee for Zionist Action. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If we are compelled to use force – our force will enable us to do so. ” — Oct. 5 1937
Letter to his son Amos (This translation considers that the words scratched out of the manuscript were indeed scratched out by Ben Gurion). - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Immigration at the rate of 60,000 a year means a Jewish state in all of Palestine” — June 1937
In a letter to Moshe Sharett, quoted twice by Ben Gurion's biographer, in slightly different forms. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “But I say on behalf of the Jews that the Bible is our Mandate” — Jan. 7 1937
Before the Peel Royal Commission. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Among ourselves there can be no debate about the integrity of the Land of Israel” — 1937
In a commentary on the Peel Commission's proposal, reported by Moshe Dayan, recalls that the goal of Zionism is the total colonization of Palestine. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “A comprehensive agreement is undoubtedly out of the question now” — June 9 1936
In a letter to the executive of the Jewish Agency. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “If we become merely landlords, then this will not be our homeland” — 1934
In a letter to Palestinian nationalist leader Moussa Alami. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Our movement has always stood for the socialist idea” — Aug. 7 1931
Exalting his notion of a national workers' socialism, two years before National Socialism took power in Germany. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “I don’t know what Arab will agree that Palestine should belong to the Jews” — June 1919
Addressing the Va'ad Zmani (temporary executive body of the Yishuv), asserting the incompatibility of Zionism with its Arab environment, while denying that the land is Arabic. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “The northern border of the Land of Israel should be the Litani River.” — 1919
Like Chaim Weizmann, Ben-Gurion requested in 1919 that the Litani River serve as the northern border of the British “Mandate.”. - Quotation from David Ben Gurion “One might say that they are like big children” — Aug. 1906
While traveling in Palestine in 1906, Ben-Gurion —writing to his father in the typical European viewpoint — did not understand Palestinian hospitality at all. - [wrong] Words attributed to David Ben Gurion “The old will die and the young will forget” — Jul. 17 1848
Apocryphal or wrong quotation or doubtful.