The government easily defeated an opposition motion of no confidence in the Knesset today critical of Premier Menachem Begin’s handling of relations with the United States in the aftermath of Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
The motion was swamped by a vote of 57-47, Begin’s largest Knesset victory on a confidence motion since his reelection last June. His narrow coalition majority was expanded by the support of two minor opposition factions, the ultra-nationalist Tehiya and the late Moshe Dayan’s Telem. Amnon Rubinstein of Shinui who introduced the motion was backed by the Labor Alignment.
The debate, focusing on Begin’s harsh attack on the Reagan Administration last Sunday, was brief. Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir defended Begin’s position on grounds that the “punishment” of Israel by the U.S. was “unacceptable.”
SAYS FUTURE OF GOLAN STILL OPEN
Washington suspended the memorandum of agreement on strategic cooperation with Israel last Friday to demonstrate its displeasure over Israel’s Golan law. Although Begin vowed, in his rebuke to the U.S., that no force on earth could make Israel rescind its annexation of the Golan Heights, Knesset Speaker Menachem Savidor indicated in Brussels yesterday that the future of the area was open to negotiations with Syria.
Speaking after meetings with representatives of the European Economic Community (EEC), Savidor told reporters that Israel’s annexation of the Golan was not illegal and not irreversible. “This is not a fait accompli. It is open to negotiations. If the Syrians give up their intransigent stand and sit down with us, they will find that Israelis are open to negotiations,” he said.
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