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of the following groups: Aliya Hadasha, WIZO, Sephardim, Yemenites, and Communists.
S ince this group was too large, an executive body of 13 members, called the “People’s
Administration”, was elected. The proportional representation in the People’s
Administration was not identical to that of the People’s Council. It included four members
from Mapai, two from the General Zionists, two from Mapam, and one of each of the
following: Mizrahi, HaPo’el HaMizrahi, Agudat Yisrael, Sephardim, and Aliya Hadasha.
In other words, even before the establishment of the state, two groups which had not
previously been included in the representative institutions of the Yishuv – Agudat Yisrael
and the Sephardim – became part of the executive body. On the other hand, two other
groups which were part of the People’s Council – the Revisionists and the Communists –
were not represented in the People’s Administration.
***
T he political leadership of the Yishuv was well aware of the limitations of the two new
bodies that had been created. On May 4, 1948, Ben-Gurion explained to the People’s
Council that they were not a Parliament in the full sense of the word, and that the People’s
Administration was not a government. They would assume these roles in the full sense only
after free democratic elections were held. Until then, they were an “emergency leadership”
whose task was to hold off the chaos that the Mandatory authorities had created in the
country, in contravention of the UN decision which had called for an orderly handover of
sovereignty. As a result, Ben-Gurion warned, “We will perhaps not be able to fulfill all the
requirements of democracy, and some democratic procedures will not be realized, owing
to the supreme need to prevail in the war for our survival and for our national freedom.”
A s it happened, there were no violations of the essence of democracy by these bodies
throughout the transitional period. In the midst of managing the defense of the as-yet
unborn state, they carried out the final formal steps in establishing the new political order:
formulation of the formal proclamation concerning the establishment of the state, and
planning of the initial political, administrative and constitutional actions to be taken upon
the proclamation.
W ith the establishment of the state, the People’s Council became the Provisional State
Council and the People’s Administration became the Provisional Government.
( Excerpt from Pinhas Medding, “The Institutions of Government in the First Year of Independence”
(Hebrew), in: Shana Rishona LaAtzma’ut, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem, 1988)
264 The Friday That Changed Destiny
S ince this group was too large, an executive body of 13 members, called the “People’s
Administration”, was elected. The proportional representation in the People’s
Administration was not identical to that of the People’s Council. It included four members
from Mapai, two from the General Zionists, two from Mapam, and one of each of the
following: Mizrahi, HaPo’el HaMizrahi, Agudat Yisrael, Sephardim, and Aliya Hadasha.
In other words, even before the establishment of the state, two groups which had not
previously been included in the representative institutions of the Yishuv – Agudat Yisrael
and the Sephardim – became part of the executive body. On the other hand, two other
groups which were part of the People’s Council – the Revisionists and the Communists –
were not represented in the People’s Administration.
***
T he political leadership of the Yishuv was well aware of the limitations of the two new
bodies that had been created. On May 4, 1948, Ben-Gurion explained to the People’s
Council that they were not a Parliament in the full sense of the word, and that the People’s
Administration was not a government. They would assume these roles in the full sense only
after free democratic elections were held. Until then, they were an “emergency leadership”
whose task was to hold off the chaos that the Mandatory authorities had created in the
country, in contravention of the UN decision which had called for an orderly handover of
sovereignty. As a result, Ben-Gurion warned, “We will perhaps not be able to fulfill all the
requirements of democracy, and some democratic procedures will not be realized, owing
to the supreme need to prevail in the war for our survival and for our national freedom.”
A s it happened, there were no violations of the essence of democracy by these bodies
throughout the transitional period. In the midst of managing the defense of the as-yet
unborn state, they carried out the final formal steps in establishing the new political order:
formulation of the formal proclamation concerning the establishment of the state, and
planning of the initial political, administrative and constitutional actions to be taken upon
the proclamation.
W ith the establishment of the state, the People’s Council became the Provisional State
Council and the People’s Administration became the Provisional Government.
( Excerpt from Pinhas Medding, “The Institutions of Government in the First Year of Independence”
(Hebrew), in: Shana Rishona LaAtzma’ut, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem, 1988)
264 The Friday That Changed Destiny
