Israeli Government Completes Plan for Population Census; Will Issue Identity Documents

Plans were completed here today for a census of the Jewish and Arab population in Israel and areas occupied by its army. A population register will be drawn up and maintained by the statistical department of the Premier’s office. As each citizen-Jew or Arab–is registered, he will receive an identity card.

The Israeli Government is now facing serious economic problems, especially in connection with the daily increasing inflation. The cost of living here is at least double that in the United States. Also troublesome is the manpower shortage and the financial problem involved in maintaining the Israeli Army at its full length.

There is great pressure here from religious parties to have the civil law based entirely on Jewish traditional law, but this view is vigorously contested by virtually all Jurists and most lawyers in Israel. This may be one of the fiercest controversies in the way of early completion of an Israeli constitution.

But the issue of Jerusalem is the most serious. It is being agitated today in all parties from right to left with such unanimity and force that the government will soon be compelled to take some definite action. Feeling is so strong on this matter that the Ben Gurion government might easily have been defeated had it acted with less determination.

For all practical purposes the Jewish-controlled parts of Jerusalem and the read approach in Jewish hands have been incorporated in the Jewish state. The foundation has been laid in this way for partition of Jerusalem, with the new city in Jewish hands and the Old under Arab control. Such a solution would be acceptable, but the Irgun opposes it, demanding that the entire city be annexed by Israel and made its capital. In this the Irgun has been joined by most right-wing and Orthodox parties.

The Ministry of Labor issued a number of decrees yesterday and today tightening considerably the mobilization program for the army and labor forces assigned to essential occupations. Among the decrees is one providing for the labor draft of recent immigrants–who may not under the terms of the U.W. truce serve in the armed forces.