A third attempt to creates a joint list of Israel’s three labor parties for the next elections to Knesset was seen today in an invitation from Prime Minister David Ben Gurion to representatives of Mapai, Achdut Avodah-and Mapam to meet him in his office next Tuesday.
While the Prime Minister’s invitation indicated specifically that the purpose of the meeting would be to “declare a three-month truce in inter-party strife and defamation,” Mr. Ben Gurion added that if the proposed truce could be maintained for the three months, he would suggest it be extended for an additional year.
Political sources here suggested that the meeting might pave the way for renewed efforts to prepare a joint labor election list against any possibility of a General Zionist-Herut merger which has been discussed sporadically in the past. The first two labor party unity attempts failed, once because of a leak by Achdut Avodah of plans to send and emissary to West Germany, and the second time over the case of Aharon Cohen, the Mapam leader suspected of espionage.
It was learned from reliable sources that despite failures of merger efforts of the General Zionists and the right wing Herut, and despite the exchanges of charges between the two parties, they had privately approached a Hebrew University faculty member to mediate their differences. The General Zionists’ support of Ben Gurion’s proposal Sunday for direct elections of mayors, however, widened still further the gap with Herut.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
