From: Norman Bassett, [EMAIL PROTECTED] There were a number of reasons why my uncle Major Jock Hargreaves left Israel after helping re-establish it in 1948. One was that by 1949 every financial fiddle in Israel led directly to the Knesset. Another was that the Israeli government objected to the habit of my uncle and the men he had some influence over (about 4,000 Jewish ex-British Army soldiers who had helped re-establish Israel) going about armed to the teeth. Another was that the first thing the Israeli government did was attempt to call in all the weapons. Naturally, proud owners of the lovely MG42 and various other pieces of lethal hardware failed to comply. Another was that the government of Israel also objected to my uncle's part in the departure of David Ben-Gurion from Israel for the good of his health following my uncle's discovery of his part in a major economic fiddle. But above all, my uncle left Israel in 1949 because he felt that a civil war would not be helpful to the renascent state. In short, the government of Israel did and does leave rather a lot to be desired. The IDF members having their guns confiscated is an example of it. Registration precedes confiscation. Regards Norman Bassett drakenfels.org -- Actually I couldn't help wondering whether disarming the lower ranks of their personal weapons had something to do with paranoia over what might happen if the Israeli Goverment reaches an agreement with the Palestinians. Steve. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
