The government easily defeated four motions of no-confidence today over the five-week extension granted for the evacuation of Elon Moreh. The vote was 60-43 with independent MKs Moshe Dayan and Samuel Flatto-Sharon supporting the coalition. Geula Cohen and Moshe Shamir of the ultra-nationalist Tehiya movement and Kalman Kahane of the Poale Agudat Israel abstained.
Premier Menachem Begin vigorously defended the extension voted by a majority of the Cabinet last Sunday on grounds that the time was needed to complete the new settlement of Djebil Kebir so that it could receive the Elon Moreh settlers. He denounced charges that he was surrendering to the Gush Emunim as “libel and slander” and insisted that both the government and the settlers have complied with the Supreme Court’s order to evacuate the Arab-owned land on which Elon Moreh was built.
Several parcels were returned to Arab owners in November and, according to Begin, he was assured by the Gush Emunim that the remainder of the land will be evacuated as soon as Djebil Kebir is ready. “We have nothing to apologize for. It is to our credit that we are going to enforce the high court’s ruling,” Begin declared.
STATEMENTS BY THE OPPOSITION
No-confidence motions were introduced by four opposition factions — the Labor Alignment, Shai, Sheli and the Communist Party. Labor MK Yossi Saris, who opened the debate, said the Cabinet’s action on Elon Moreh ignored the Supreme Court’s ruling and it appeared doubtful therefore that Elan Moreh will be completely evacuated. He charged that the Gush Emunim were dictating to the government. “The monster that Premier Begin helped create has turned on its master,” Sarid declared.
Charlie Biton of the Communist Party said the government was spending millions of Pounds on West Bank settlements while it was urging the underprivileged to tighten their belts. The Gush Emunim, he said, not only dictates settlement policy but runs the country’s economy. Meir Payil of Sheli said the government’s settlement policy was undermining the peace agreement with Egypt by preventing the establishment of a self-governing body in the occupied territories.
Payil attacked Agriculture Minister Ariel Sharon, chairman of the Ministerial Settlement Committee as “Baron von Sharon” who, like a Prussian baron, tries to impose his leadership over the entire State without having any real constituency among the public.
Dayan, who resigned as Foreign Minister last Oct. 21, just one day before the Supreme Court ordered the removal of Elan Moreh, explained that he supported the government today “so that one does not interpret my vote as opposition to settlement in the territories.” But he made it clear that he was opposed to Elan Moreh and to the new settlement at Djebil Kebir, both close to Nablus, the largest Arab population center on the West Bank. He said there was no justification for the new settlement which would only cause damage to Israel.
While the debate was in progress, the Knesset’s Finance Committee approved an allocation of 11.91 million for three new settlements in Judaea and Sameria — Reihan, Dotan and Kamei Shomron IV and for paving new roads in the region.
On this issue, a Jewish Agency spokesman, referring to a report in the Daily News Bulletin of Dec. 27, said it was erroneous to believe that the Jewish Agency and other settlement bodies could commit themselves to construction projects in the administered territories. The Dec. 27 report had stated that the Treasury has instructed the Jewish Agency and other settlement bodies to commit themselves for a specific sum to be used in the construction of housing in the territories.
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