After the Lavon Affair and an increase in border incidents between Israel and surrounding nations, David Ben-Gurion was recalled as minister of defense — though he had retired in 1953.
“After his achievements as first prime minister of the new republic, he has been restoring his health as a simple worker on a farm settlement,” the narrator reports in this 1954 clip, as the camera shows Ben-Gurion hard at work shoveling.
“The people have not forgotten his great abilities, and he may be asked to assume office again,” the announcer concludes.
In 1955, the former prime minister would indeed again step up as minister of defense — and later in the year, as prime minister.
(The Associated Press and Movietone News recently released their vast video archives on YouTube, allowing the public to freely access a million minutes worth of historical news clips dating back to 1895 — including many iconic scenes from Israel’s history featured in this Times of Israel series.)
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