Behind the Headlines Election Race Officially on

The election race began officially at 10 p.m. last night when the heavy carved wrought iron gates of the Knesset swung shut and Supreme Court Justice Eliahu Many, chairman of the elections committee, announced that registration had ended. By that moment 23 lists, 10 old and 13 of them new, had registered and paid their IL 40,000 deposits.

There were scenes of high drama, tension, and much comic relief at the Knesset committee rooms as lists large and small conducted last minute squabbles right up to the ten o’clock deadline. Among the lists are French financier Samuel Flatto-Sharon’s one-man party; a new breakaway group headed by ex-Laborite Mordechai Ben-Porat, and Ariel Sharon’s Shlomzion party running alone after efforts to splice it into the Likud list ran aground yesterday.

Sharon’s all-day negotiations with Likud broke down when Liberal leader Simcha Ehrlich delivered an ultimatum to his Likud partner, Herut’s Menachem Beigin, saying “either Sharon or us.” Sharon later lashed out at “Likud politicians, other than Beigin himself, who are only interested in themselves, not in the greater good.” Sharon had reportedly demanded the 40th through 45th spots on the Likud election list for his movement, with himself in the 45th place. Likud, instead, offered Sharon sixth place on the ticket with other Shlomzion members getting places 47, 49 and 51 on the list.

The Labor Alignment itself submitted its list right on the deadline and observers were interested to note that the expectation that Golda Meir would take the traditional place of honor–the 120th spot–had not materialized. There was immediate speculation that this reflected her dissatisfaction with the fact that Shimon Peres was elected leader. She has never hidden her lack of affection for the Defense Minister.

The 120th place on Likud’s list went to veteran MK and economic expert Dr. Yohanan Bader of Herut. Another Herut man who has stepped down from active Knesset life and takes a position of honor at the end of the list was Herut’s Haim Landau, long-time chief lieutenant of party leader Menachem Beigin.

DRUCKMANN HIGH ON NRP LIST

Rabbi Haim Druckmann, head of the Or Etzion Yeshiva in the Etzion bloc outside of Jerusalem, was given the number two spot on the National Religious Party list in an apparent effort to win support for the NRP from the Gush Emunim movement.

Druckmann, who is popular in the various Orthodox circles, was put on the list by the pressure of the NRP Young Guard led by former Welfare Minister Zevulun Hammer and MK Yehuda Ben Meir. Ben Meir said with Druckmann on the list and former Minister of Religious Affairs Gideon Raphael off, “we can be sure that Gush Emunim will support us.” Raphael, who was denied a place on the list, lost a court challenge last week when a court refused to interfere in the party affairs.

Ben Meir’s prediction appeared to be realized when Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, considered the religious advisor of Gush Emunim, released a letter saying. “Well, now that our friend Rabbi Haim Druckmann is on the NRP’s Knesset list. It is simply obvious that each one of us must vote for the NRP and do his utmost for its success in the elections.”

Giving Druckmann the number two spot meant that all the other candidates, except for former interior Minister Yosef Burg who is number one, had to move down one slot on the ticket. This brought a brief protest from Mrs. Sara Stern-Katan, the representative of the NRP women, who was 10th and finally agreed to accept the 11th spot.

The Agudat Israel was also in trouble until the very last minute, with No. 3 man Shlomo Lorincz threatening to run alone because the Hasidic Rebbe of Gur, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter, had announced to his followers that they might, if they wished, vote for Poalei Aguda which has just broken away from Aguda itself. In the event, Lorincz withdrew his threat.

LAST MINUTE HIGH DRAMA

High drama occurred over Mordechai Ben-Porat’s failure to provide a banker’s draft for the IL 40,000 as the regulations provide. He sought to hand in his personal check instead. Hearing of his old friend’s predicament over the radio, Moshe Dayan immediately phoned him at the Knesset and urged him to borrow the cash from East Jerusalem antique dealers who are among Dayan’s Arab friends. But I en-Porat’s aides managed to collect the money from Jewish supporters in Jerusalem.

PARTY LISTS IN THE ELECTIONS

The parties running are: Labor Alignment; Likud; Democratic Movement For Change (Yigal Yadin); National Religious Party; Independent Liberals; Aguda Israel; Poalei Aguda; Citizens Rights Party (headed by Mrs. Shulamit Aloni); “Sheli” (headed by Arye Eliav, Meir Payil and Uri Avneri); Rakah–The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (which is the old pro-Moscow Rakah Communists plus Black Panther chief Charlie Biton); Freedom–Front of Workers and Black Panthers (Pantherite Shalom Cohen and former Ashdod port boss Yehoshua Peretz).

Also, Arab Reform Movement; Zionist Panthers; The Movement for Economic and Social Renewal (Ben-Porat); Coexistence in Justice (an Arab list); Renana (led by Mordechai Hoffman); “Kach” (meaning “Thus”–Meir Kahane’s party); The Women’s Party; The New Generation of Israel (led by hunger striker Zvi Saar); Shlomzion; The United Arab List (Labor affiliated); and Beit Yisrael Party (Yemenite list). Flatto-Sharon asked for and got the code letters Het Yod, which make the word “Hai” meaning life.

Every party will have code letters so that the less literate can easily recognize them in the voting booth.