David Ben-Gurion’s Leadership and Zionist Fulfillment

Meir Chazan’s overview of the life and times of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, argues that “the party” – whether Poale Zion, Ahdut Ha’Avodah or Mapai – was the source of his ability and inspiration. Ben-Gurion’s ideological approach derived not from the Western democratic tradition but from Russian revolutionary socialism. Unlike the intellectual theoreticians of Mapai, Ben-Gurion’s authority and status were derived from his ability to make solid decisions and to efficiently organize, based on the political reality of the time. He commented that “Zionism is tested by its performance, not its rhetoric. Its performance depends not on defining and analysing concepts but on real circumstances and conditions and determinants of fulfilment.” Meir Chazan also looks at the debate between Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett, Israel’s first foreign minister over the direction of Israel. He also addresses Ben-Gurion’s propensity to clash with leading figures such as Vladimir Jabotinsky, Abba Hillel Silver and Nahum Goldmann as well as with stalwarts on both the left and the right in Israeli politics after 1948.