Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s decision to appoint himself as chairman of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, replacing the famous scientist, Prof. Ernst Bergmann, was criticized severely here today by opposition party members in the Security and Foreign Affairs Committee of Israel’s Parliament.
Members representing ex-Premier David Ben-Gurion’s Rafi Party, and of Gahal — the fusion of Herut and Liberals — accused Mr. Eshkol of having “sacrificed scientific efficiency for the sake of absolute authority.” The opposition called upon Dr. Bergmann to appear before the body and explain his resignation. However, the Government’s coalition members on the group refused to issue such a summons, asserting that such testimony would be unprecedented.
Mr. Eshkol told the parliamentary body that a new committee would be established by the Atomic Energy Commission “for intensive consultations with scientific authorities.”
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