Israel’s right-wing Herut Party, which is holding its national convention here, continued today to debate the question of its continued participation in the national coalition Government organized by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol during last May’s war crisis. Herut, in parliamentary alignment with the Liberal Party, comprises the Gahal faction. It has differed sharply with the Government over the strategies employed to reach a peace settlement with the Arabs, and over the future status of the occupied territories. Its leader, Menachem Beigin, favors permanent sovereignty over them and large-scale settlement of them.
Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Ben Eliezer, who is a Herut leader, urged today that the party stay in the coalition. He said that even if Herut won a majority in the next election, it would seek to lead a coalition of national unity. His view was opposed by Yohanan Bader, a Knesset member, who said Gaha should leave the coalition because the country now lacks an active opposition, which damages its democratic image.
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