Knesset Debate over No Confidence Motions Continues Late into the Night; Motions Defeated 59-47

A heated Knesset debate over five no-confidence motions in the government of Premier Menachem Begin continued late into the night with denunciations of government policies by opposition factions on the left, center and right wings.

Although Begin’s parliamentary majority stood fast and survived the assault by a 59-47 vote, the nature of the attacks reflected the political turmoil in Israel arising from Moshe Dayan’s resignation as Foreign Minister and the Supreme Court’s ruling that the settlement of Elon Moreh built on confiscated Arab land on the West Bank must be removed in 30 days.

The original no-confidence motion presented by the Labor Alignment dealt with deteriorating economic and social conditions and the government’s alleged inability to function properly. But the attack was broadened to include the government’s conduct of the autonomy negotiations with Egypt–the issue that precipitated Dayan’s resignation–and the settlement policies.

In addition to Labor, no-confidence motions were presented by the Communist Party, Sheli, Shai and the new ultra-nationalist Tehiya faction, represented by Geula Cohen, some of whose members are defectors from Begin’s Herut Party.

Shimon Peres, chairman of the Labor Party, presented a long list of “malfunctions” by the government. “The foreign policy was handed to the Minister of Interior,” he said. “There is no Foreign Minister. There is a Finance Minister, but they want to replace him.” Peres directed some of his criticism directly at the Liberal Party, which he accused of “leaving us without the Treasury, and itself without a candidate as Minister of Finance.” Calling toward the Cabinet benches, Peres said: “You will do good with the people if you will release us of your incompetence.” He also denounced the government for bringing about the Elon Moreh fiasco by its policy of expropriating Arab land.

New elections were demanded by Amnon Rubinstein of Shai and Meir Wilner of the Communist Party. Rubinstein said the idea of autonomy has become meaningless with Dayan’s resignation and that the Knesset needed a new mandate from the people. Wilner claimed that Israel is in great danger of fascism. Meir Payil of Sheli said the deteriorating economy and the settlement policy were threatening democracy in Israel.

Minister-Without-Portfolio Moshe Nissim responded for the government by accusing the Labor Alignment of being the first to seize land for settlements when it led the government. He referred to Kiryat Arba near Hebron and land in the Rafah salient of Sinai. Cohen, a one-time disciple of Begin who quit Herut because she opposed the peace treaty with Egypt, denounced the Cabinet as “good for nothings” and predicted that a war with the Arabs is inevitable and that a civil war would take place in Israel if Elon Moreh is dismantled.