Israel’s major parties made public today the names of the candidates for the November 3 Parliamentary elections which they hope will have maximum voter appeal in the new situation created by the first split in the long-dominant Mapai Farty. The split was signalized by the entry of a competing Israel Workers’ List (Rafi), led by former Premier David Ben-Gurion, challenging the national and party leadership of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol.
The Mapai list, as expected, was headed by Premier Eshkol, Knesset Speaker Kadish Luz, Foreign Minister Golda Meir, followed by the other Mapai Cabinet ministers. Three “new faces” were listed among the first 36 Mapai places — Aryeh Elfav, Zeev Sharef and Zvi Dinstein, special adviser to the Defense Minister. Mr. Dinstein in effect replaced Deputy Defense Minister Shimon Peres, who resigned in support of Mr. Ben-Gurion. Mapai secretary Reuven Barkatt is another new name on the Mapai list.
First place on the new Rafi list went, as expected to Mr. Ben-Gurion, Others in order are: Yizhar Smilansky, Mr. Peres, Matilda Ghez, former Housing Minister Yosef Almogi, Yitzhak Navon, former Agriculture Minister Moshe Dayan and former Chief of Staff Zvi Tsur. A Rafi spokesman hinted yesterday that a return to the Premiership by Ben-Gurion was not a prior condition to Rafi’s joining a future coalition. Two former Chiefs of Staff, Haim Laskov and Mordecai Maklef, closed the Mapai list. The Rafi list was closed by former Chief of Staff Yaacov Dori. Thus five former Chiefs of Staff appear on the two lists.
RELIGIOUS PARTIES REJECT COMMON FRONT, OFFER SEPARATE TICKETS
Israel’s three religious groups — National Religious Party, Agudat Israel and Poale Agudat Israel — will run separate tickets. Negotiations for a united religious front failed after the Council of Sages advised Agudat Israel against participation in such a front.
Top places on the list of the National Religious Party (Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi) went as expected to such key figures as Health Minister Moshe Shapiro, Social Welfare Minister Yosef Burg, and Religious Affairs Minister Zorah Warhaftig. The party said that Yitzhak Rafael, former Deputy Health Minister, had not been placed on the list because he had been associated with a scandal in the Health Ministry in which a high official was sentenced to prison for allegedly receiving kickbacks from contractors. Mr. Rafael resigned to clear his name.
Achdut Avodah’s list, which will be offered as an alignment slate with Mapai, included most key leaders in the outgoing Knesset. The list included Israel Galili, Gen. Yigal Allon, Moshe Carmel, Mordechai Bibi, Ruth Hektin, Zeev Tsur and Moshe Erem.
The joint Herut-Liberal list (Gahal) included Yosef Saphir, Elimeleh Rimalt, Yosef Serlin, Mordechai Stern and Prof. Hans Klinghoffer. The Herut candidates for the joint list included all party leaders, headed by Menahem Beigin and Yohanan Bader. The list did not include Aryeh Altman, Nachum Levin and Binyamin Arditi, all members of the Fifth Knesset.
The left-wing Mapam, an opposition party, was the first to complete its list, which was announced last week. The list was featured by an effort to give a “new look” to its candidate offering. Four of the first nine places, considered certain of election were given to new candidates.
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