Premier David Ben Gurion’s latest attempt to broaden the Israel Cabinet failed last night when the executive committee of the General Zionist Party rejected an invitation to join the coalition government. The vote, which came at the end of a stormy session, was 51-8.
An official statement issued by the party later declared that in the present circumstances the party could not join the coalition. “Such a merger, after rejection of the constructive propositions which the party submitted in a memorandum to the Premier, cannot possibly contribute to the necessary effort for improving the country’s situation, nor can it create changes in the prevailing system without which improvement is not feasible,” the statement declared.
In the negotiations with Mr. Ben Gurion, which preceded last night’s session, General Zionist representatives demanded: assurances of equal opportunities for cooperative and private enterprise; unification of the Government school system, which now is split on religious and ideological lines into four networks; nationalization of the health insurance services controlled by the trade unions; establishment of Government-controlled labor exchanges, and the taking over of cooperative communication services by the Government or local authorities.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
