Three members of the Israel Cabinet which fell last week with the resignation of David Ben-Gurion as Prime Minister were under pressure today to agree to rejoin a new coalition Cabinet under Ben-Gurion’s Premier ship. The three are: Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister; Pinhas Sapir, Trade Minister; and Pinhas Rosen, Minister of Justice.
Mr. Ben-Gurion personally conferred today with Pinhas Rosen for more than two hours, after making lengthy telephone calls to him. Mr. Rosen, a leader of the Progressive party, served as chairman of the Ministerial Committee which exonerated Pinhas Lavon of responsibility for the 1954 security mishap. The exoneration report of this committee was not accepted by Mr. Ben-Gurion.
While Mr. Ben-Gurion was trying to persuade Mr. Rosen, other leaders of the Mapai party were concentrating their persuasion powers on convincing Mrs. Meir and Mr. Sapir to agree to rejoin the new Cabinet which Mr. Ben-Gurion would be asked by President Izhak Ben-Zvi to form.
The National Religious party was not expected to make the Lavon issue more important than their interest in keeping the party’s Cabinet portfolios. The question of Mr. Ben-Gurion’s demand for a new judicial inquiry into the 1954 mishap and for the ousting of Mr. Lavon as Histadrut secretary-general was, however, clearly a matter of principle for two other coalition partners, the left-wing Mapam and Achdut Avodah, both of whom have come out strongly for Lavon in the controversy.
It appeared that the two parties could not be talked into rejoining the coalition–particularly in view of the fact leaders of the two parties had said they would not sit in a Cabinet under Mr. Ben-Gurion–if the Progressives remained outside; hence the Prime Minister’s concentration on Mr. Rosen, the leader of the latter party.
President Ben-Zvi meanwhile continued his formal consultations today with the various parties on whom the assignment should be given for formation of a new Government. He met with Mapam leaders today after talking to Mapai, Herut and the National Religious party earlier in the week.
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