Premier Golda Meir and opposition leader Menachem Beigin clashed in the Knesset today over the alleged misuse of funds raised in Jewish communities abroad. Beigin, who heads the Gahal faction, charged that a lot of money had been wasted.
The clash erupted during a discussion of Israel’s social problems. Beigin accused the government of wasting IL 2 billion on projects that had failed and said that money could have been used to improve the conditions of the poor.
Mrs. Meir replied that it was impossible to develop the country without the support of the Jewish people. She said that no one could accuse Gahal of wasting money, a reference to the fact that the opposition faction has neither the authority nor the responsibilities of governing. Beigin retorted that “It was the money of the Jewish people, not of the Labor Party or Gahal.” He insisted that “a lot of these funds have been wasted.”
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