Israel’s Cabinet was scheduled to hold two sessions today to take up a number of pressing issues, the main one being the reshuffle of Cabinet portfolios proposed two weeks ago by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol. Mr. Eshkol wants to elevate Labor Minister Yigal Allon to the rank of deputy prime minister in charge of the new Absorption Ministry. He would be succeeded in the Labor Ministry by Yosef Almogi.
Mr. Eshkol also faces pressure from the religious bloc in the Cabinet on another matter on today’s agenda. It concerns the right of men and women to pray together at the Western Wall. The Ministry for Religious Affairs refused to give permission for mixed prayer to the World Union for Progressive Judaism, a Reform group which will hold its convention here this week. The Union has appealed to the Knesset and the Cabinet which are studying the matter despite protests by the Orthodox bloc. It is possible that, as in the past, Mr. Eshkol may be inclined to yield to religious party pressures in exchange for their favorable votes on what he regards as a more important issue.
Menahem Beigin, Herut Party leader, said on his return here from the United States that he would report to Mr. Eshkol on his talks with high ranking U.S. Government officials. These included Presidential advisors Eugene and Walter Rostow; Undersecretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach and Lucius Battle, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
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