FROM OUR ARCHIVES

65 YEARS AGO

On April 25, 1952, The Jerusalem Post reported that about 4,000 workers marched through Tel Aviv’s Allenby Road in the afternoon in a Mapam-sponsored demonstration against the government’s austere New Economic Policy. Among the demonstrators were members of the Israeli Communist Party, who shouted slogans against the policy, demanding “an independent Israel without orders from [Bruce] McDaniel [the US grant-in-aid administrator].”

In Washington, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee adjourned for a week without taking the expected vote on the Foreign Aid Bill, which was still being discussed by various committees.

In London, a decisive turn was expected in the Anglo-Israel talks which would either terminate or result in an agreement on some form of an official guarantee to Israel’s principal oil suppliers in the sterling area.

Many of the former immigrants had who returned to India had now asked the Jewish Agency to bring them back to Israel. A Jewish Agency spokesman announced that they would have to return at their own expense.

Water rates were doubled in Jerusalem from 150 prutot a cubic meter to 300 prutot, despite the protests of the municipal opposition.

The first graduates of the Military Nurses’ School were given their diplomas, army rank and a school emblem by health minister Dr. Yosef Burg.

25 YEARS AGO

On April 25, 2002, The Jerusalem

Post reported that in an attempt to calm citizens’ fears, finance minister Silvan Shalom said that savings deposits would not be taxed retroactively, once the Rabinovitch tax reform recommendations were approved and implemented. Due the following month, the recommendations were to include a 15% to 25% capital gains tax on profits from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. New tobacco, diesel fuel taxes and VAT increase to 18% were announced.

Little progress was made during talks between Israelis and Palestinians attempting to end the stand-off at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. It was the third meeting between the two sides and another was expected to take place that day.

A high-level Israeli legal delegation flew to New York to lobby UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to change the terms of reference for the UN fact-finding mission set to investigate the battle of Jenin. US secretary of state Colin Powell told Congress that he had no evidence of an Israeli massacre of Palestinians at the Jenin refugee camp.

Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat met with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and EU envoy Miguel Moratinos.

10 YEARS AGO

On April 25, 2007, The Jerusalem Post reported that as rockets rained on the South and Hamas declared that the truce was over, the IDF asked prime minister Ehud Olmert for a green light to strike Hamas leadership.

The IDF foiled a kidnapping attempt near Gaza border.

Degel Hatorah was close to joining Olmert’s coalition.