ABSTRACT
The end of the first decade of statehood was a suitable time to examine the essence of the relationship between the State and the Zionist Organization. Since the Declaration of Independence the leadership of the latter had regarded close ties with Israel as the key to its status among Diaspora Jewry. This is the root of its demand for a Status Law, the signing of a “covenant” and participation in discussions connected with the Zionist Organization’s spheres of activity inside Israel. However, those at the helm, with Ben-Gurion in the lead, were against granting the World Zionist Organization special status and the recognition that it was the representative of Diaspora Jewry. As mentioned, Ben-Gurion insisted on a direct relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, without a go-between organization; thus the two bodies would cooperate in the zone between their opposing stands.
