Leaders of the opposition Labor Alignment apparently had second thoughts over the weekend about the wisdom of their personal attacks on Premier Menachem Begin, especially references to his physical health and implications of mental instability.
As Labor and Likud girded for what promises to be an extraordinarily bitter and vituperative foreign policy debate, beginning tomorrow in the Knesset, Alignment leaders admitted that some of the harsh personal remarks made at a Labor Party political forum Thursday, may have boomeranged.
They indicated that in the future, Labor will concentrate its fire on Likud government policies rather than on Begin himself. Labor intends to present a motion of no-confidence in the government at tomorrow’s Knesset session. The debate will be opened by Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan who will report on his talks in England last week with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kaamel. Begin will sum up the situation from the government’s point of view. Former foreign ministers Yigal Allon and Abba Eban will present the opposition viewpoint and Eban will submit the no-confidence motion.
The Labor Party forum Thursday night was closed to the news media. But, inevitably, details were leaked to the press which published unflattering references to the Premier that infuriated Likud.
Labor’s ire was aroused by Begin’s attacks on Alignment chairman Shimon Peres for meeting with President Anwar Sadat of Egypt in Austria two weeks ago, his veto of a meeting between Peres and King Hussein in London a few days later and his announcement that he will not grant visas to opposition officials who go abroad to meet Arab statesmen.
BASIS FOR ALIGNMENT’S IRE
Former Premier Golda Meir said she could not recall a time when Labor-led governments had rejected requests by the Liberals, Mapam or the Communist Party to meet anti-Israel personages abroad. “In many instances the Foreign Ministry financed the trip, “she said. Former Transport Minister Gad Yaacobi declared that Begin does not control a totalitarian state. His threat to refuse visas to opposition members “is very close to the fascist school,” he said.
Eban pointed out that British Conservative leader Edward Heath had visited the Peoples Republic of China when his party was in opposition and that New York Republican Senator Jacob Javits went to Cuba even though the Democrats control the White House.
Some of the Laborites remarked on Begin’s conduct during last week’s Knesset debate. Meir and former Finance Minister Yehoshua Rabinowitz suggested that the Premier did not seem to be in control of himself. Labor MK Yossi Sarid said Begin’s actions disturbed him. “We felt it necessary to draw attention to it, “he told the Jerusalem Post today. “Begin’s health is a national concern of the first degree. It’s the sort of thing where you are damned if you mention it and damned if you don’t.”
But former Premier Yitzhak Rabin said today that it was unfair for politicians to dwell on health problems and decide who can or cannot withstand the pressures of office. Begin, who suffered a heart attack last year and is diabetic, has been hospitalized several times in the past year. But his doctors insist that he is perfectly fit to discharge his duties.
Meanwhile, Likud leaders warned today that “The Alignment leaders will be sorry for every time they deviate from accepted norms in political debates.” Finance Minister Simcha Ehrlich said he was shocked by Labor’s attacks on Begin. “This is an unprecedented phenomena in a democratic state. “Defense Minister Ezer Weizman defended the Premier’s threat to withhold visas from opposition leaders. “Peres should better remember that he is leader of the opposition. Everyone must learn to know his position, “Weizman said.
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.
