Rabin to Go on Vacation; Will Ask That Peres Be Acting Premier

Premier Yitzhak Rabin will take a vacation immediately after the celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut next Thursday and will recommend that the Cabinet appoint Defense Minister Shimon Peres as Acting Premier, Israel Radio announced tonight. Rabin will still remain legal Premier and will be responsible, under law, for all government actions. There was no indication of how long he will be away.

The announcement came as pressure mounted from within the Labor Party and the public for Rabin to hand the reins of government to someone else. Rabin had decided earlier this week to stay in office until the next government is formed after the May 17 elections. He based that decision on the law which forbids a minister to resign from a caretaker regime. Although a loophole exists that would permit him to step down, Rabin chose to ignore it.

Yediot Achronot reported this morning that Rabin was planning to take a leave of absence, a move suggested by several LaborParty ministers. Until this evening’s radio announcement there was no comment from the Prime Minister’s Office on the Yediot Achronot report.

Rabin resigned one week ago as leader of the Labor Party because of the joint bank account he and his wife kept in Washington, D.C. in violation of Israel’s currency laws. Peres was chosen by the party on Sunday to replace him at the head of Labor’s election ticket. There are elements within the party who fear that it will suffer in the elections if Rabin serves out his tenure.

Former Justice Minister Dov Joseph said in a signed article in Maariv today that Rabin could legally take a vacation and have another minister run the government. Although he would remain Premier officially and would continue to be responsible for government decisions, a leave would be the best and quickest way “to satisfy the many people who believe that a man who committed an offense should not serve as Premier,” Joseph wrote.