Behind the Headlines the Wrath of a True Believer

Premier Menachem Begin’s difficulties with his hardcore Herut constituency in the Knesset and government are part of the burden he must bear in pursuit of a peace settlement with Egypt and, hopefully, with Israel’s other neighbors. And, as the Premier learned recently, there is no wrath more bitter than that of a disillusioned true believer.

The most vocal and stubborn opposition to Begin’s peace plan has come from a comrade of his old Irgun days, an unwavering Herut loyalist, Likud MK Geula Cohen. She was one of Begin’s inner circle of staunch supporters who never questioned their leader’s moves. But strains between them began to show after the Premier’s swift, positive response to President Anwar Sadat’s peace initiative and his subsequent offers of “self rule” to the Arabs on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and willingness to return Sinai to Egyptian sovereignty.

An angry clash occurred between them during a meeting of the Likud Knesset faction last month. Afterwards, Cohen, in tears and trembling with rage stood in a Knesset corridor threatening to join with other hardliners in a new opposition bloc aimed at reversing Begin’s peace proposals. She was clearly shocked by Begin’s counter-attack after she had denounced his peace program and apparently reached the unhappy conclusion that she must lead a political struggle against her erstwhile here and mentor.

Cohen herself had used harsh words in the intra-party debate. Angrily, she asked Begin if he had “forgotten his Jabotinsky,” a reference to the founder of the Zionist-Revisionist movement, Zeev Jabotinsky, whose teachings inspired Begin as a young man. She demanded to know how the Premier dared propose a peace plan that would hold in abeyance Israel’s claim to the West Bank. She declared that Begin’s peace plan was not only a betrayal of basic Herut philosophy but endangered the very existence of Israel. She contended that Israel had moved too hastily to embrace Sadat’s peace initiative.

BEGIN DEFENDS HIS POSITION

But Cohen did not bum all of her bridges. She emphasized that she had the right to differ with the Premier and said she was not questioning his credibility. Begin, who has always ruled Herut with an iron hand and, by nature, does not remain stolid in face of criticism, ignored Cohen’s conciliatory words. He addressed her stonily as “Mrs. Cohen” rather than the friendly “Geula” of the past.

Begin asked if her love for this land was greater than his own. He insisted that his peace plan accorded fully with the Herut and Likud platforms and accused Cohen of criticizing him publicly while he was in Washington presenting his plan to President Carter.

The Premier, his voice rising with emotion, declared: “I always fought for this country and I don’t need any confirmation of my devotion to Israel, neither from the Gush Emunim nor from the Greater Israel Movement, nor from any members of the Herut Party.”

Begin demanded a vote of confidence from his party’s Knesset faction and got it handily, reminding all that only Cohen and a few other die-hards like Moshe Shamir opposed his policies.

The question is whether Cohen will make good her threat to challenge Begin’s leadership. Until the Likud election victory last May she was an obscure member of the Knesset opposition which she joined four years earlier after a stint as a columnist for Maariv.

Her reputation was that of a consistent, often strident critic of the Labor-led government. She concentrated on educational matters and insisted that the school system insufficiently inculcated Israeli youth with the spirit of nationalism. She was also a vocal supporter of the Gush Emunim illegal settlement movement when it was squelched during the regime of Premier Yitzhak Rabin.

When Begin came to power, Cohen apparently felt she should be elevated at least to sub-Cabinet rank. Her Irgun credentials were impressive. During the pre-State years she had been a commentator on Irgun’s underground radio. She was arrested and jailed by the British but escaped.

Cohen sought to be nominated Deputy Minister of Education. But she had to forego that ambition when Education Minister-designate Zevulun Hammer of the National Religious Party objected. With the Likud government installed, she found that Begin, too, put restraints on the Gush Emunim attempts. But Cohen muted her criticism out of loyalty to the party and its leader. Now she seems determined to challenge Begin; whether on her own or within Herut ranks remains to be seen.