General Zionists May Join Israel Cabinet; Announcement Expected

Official announcement of a decision by the General Zionist Party to enter the government coalition is expected within a few days, reliable sources here said today following a meeting this week-end of the central council of the centrist party. The political committee of the Mapai Party, major factor in the government, which meets here tomorrow, is also expected to approve an arrangement for broadening the Cabinet.

The only snag still holding up agreement is the distribution of four portfolios — Commerce, Interior, Communications and Health — which are demanded by the centrists. It was pointed out that three of these posts are now held by members of one or another of the religious parties. Sources close to the Mapai leadership says that the Laborites are willing to end the “unstable” coalition in which they depend on the religious parties and replace it with a more stable government based on a Labor-Centrist coalition.

Apparently the religious parties will be the only ones to suffer if the centrists enter the government, since they will have to surrender some of their portfolios. Also, the religious parties will lose their fight against the amalgamation of the four “trend” schools into one state system, because the General Zionist-Mapai agreement calls for immediate establishment of a unified school system, with any special schools becoming a private matter for the parties which wish to maintain them, The conscription of Orthodox women is also expected to be put into effect quickly by a Mapai-General Zionist coalition.

Another important aspect of the reported Mapai-General Zionist agreement is that both favor the introduction of a law in Parliament aimed at reducing the number of political parties by requiring a party to obtain at least seven percent of the total vote in order to be represented in Parliament. The present regulation sets a minimum of one percent.