Former Premier David Ben-Gurion announced after midnight today that he had decided to set up an independent list of candidates for the forthcoming elections to the Histadrut, Israel’s Federation of Labor, and to Parliament. The decision was announced after a four-hour meeting of Ben-Gurion’s backers at his Tel Aviv residence.
No vote was taken at the meeting. Ben-Gurion simply announced he had decided to set up an independent list and that “whoever wants to join me is welcome.” The minority leaders in the Mapai party, in backing the ex-Premier in his decision, asked supporters not to turn in their membership cards to the Mapai because “we are the real Mapai and the others are not Mapai but alignment.”
This was a reference to Premier Eshkol’s working out a limited Mapai-Achdut Avodah alignment for the elections, one of the points of differences between him and Ben-Gurion. However, spokesmen for the Mapai majority, which backs Mr. Eshkol, asserted today that anyone taking part in setting up the independent list would find himself “outside the party.”
The minority leaders met today to determine means of getting the financial support they will need for campaigning. They planned to develop a list of people outside the minority grouping whom they will ask to join the independent lists of the elections. Mr. Ben-Gurion said he intended to present to the voters a ten-point program, including a change in the electoral system, development of industry, increase the populations of the Negev and Galilee and increasing the living standards of Israel’s backward population groups.
It was learned that Gen. Moshe Dayan and Haifa Mayor Khoushy, two of Ben-Gurion’s strongest supporters, advocated staying inside the Mapai party as a “fighting opposition.” It is believed that Gen, Dayan may not agree to appear on Ben-Gurion’s list of candidates.
The two Israeli evening newspapers–Maariv and Yedioth Achronot–criticize Ben-Gurion’s move in their editorials. The other papers have not yet had the opportunity to comment on the event. Maariv said that Ben-Gurion created a fait accompli which surprised even his supporters. The Yedioth Achronot said that “the decision was taken not by the Mapai minority members but by Ben-Gurion alone; his followers merely acted as statistics.”
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