Herut, Liberal Party Schism Feared

Herut’s decision to “review” its 20 year-old agreement with the Liberal Party has raised fears of a serious schism within Likud on the eve of a tough election campaign.

The Herut Secretariat ordered the review this week and appointed Deputy Premier David Levy to conduct it and make recommendations. The agreement in question, concluded between Herut leader Menachem Begin and the late Simcha Ehrlich of the Liberal Party in the mid-1960’s, created the Herut-Liberal alliance originally known as Gahal.

It established, among other things, the formula for the apportionment of Knesset seats between the two factions, a formula Herut activists insist is now outdated and in need of revision.

Justice Minister Moshe Nissim, a leading Liberal, expressed concern over the Herut action. He warned in a radio interview yesterday that “only by standing together” can Herut and the Liberal Party, the chief components of Likud, hope to win the elections next July 23.

He stressed that under the agreement, changes could be made only with the consent of both parties. “I have always believed that agreements are made to be adhered to and honored,” he said.

MANY FEEL FORMULA IS OBSOLETE

But many in Herut believe the Begin-Ehrlich formula allows the Liberal Party representation in the Knesset that exceeds its actual strength with the electorate. Levy spoke yesterday of the “feeling of resentment” in Herut ranks over the fact that the Liberals now hold 18 of Likud’s 46 Knesset mandates. According to Herut activists, had the Liberals gone to the polls on their own in the last elections, they would now have far fewer seats in parliament.

Former Finance Minister Yoram Aridor, chairman of the Herut Secretariat, spoke of a “long-standing need” to “rectify the balance.” He complained that Likud was plagued by Liberal MKs who refused to adhere to party discipline in the present Knesset.

This was a reference apparently to Yitzhak Berman and Dror Zeigerman, two Liberals who have frequently voted with the opposition or abstained in crucial Knesset ballots. Berman voted with the Labor opposition last month to call early elections.

SAYS SITUATION MUST BE RECTIFIED

This situation must be “put right and not allowed to recur,” Aridor said. He implied that a reduced Liberal faction in the Knesset would be more manageable and bound by party discipline. In his view, this would make for a more united Likud.

Nissim said he had received assurances from Premier Yitzhak Shamir that the Herut-Liberal agreement would remain intact. He did not say when those assurances were given. Past efforts by Herut members to challenge the agreement were swiftly quashed by Begin, whose leadership was undisputed. But Begin has withdrawn from politics and Shamir’s position is not considered as firm as that of his predecessor.

Aridor and other Herut leaders seem to believe that the time is ripe to reduce the Liberal contingent in Likud. They have stressed that Herut is “united” in the demand for a review of the agreement and that this unity transcends the contest for leadership of Herut.

ELECTION FOR TOP SPOT ON HERUT ELECTION LIST

That contest will be decided by the Herut Central Committee which meets tonight to fill the top spot on the Herut election list. Shamir is being challenged by former Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. Most observers believe Shamir is virtually certain to be confirmed as leader of Herut and will head the next government should Likud win on July 23.

But if Sharon, presently a Minister-Without-Portfolio, gains 30 percent of the 1, 100-plus votes in the Central Committee, he will be considered to have achieved a substantial success and a position of power in Likud. A vote of 15-18 percent or less for Sharon would signify failure. (SEE LATE STORY P.3.)

Shamir told Herut activists that he will not “bear a grudge” against Sharon in any event and would consider including him in a new Likud-led government.

The Liberal Party faces an even more serious leadership struggle when its Central Committee meets on April 26. A two-way fight between Nissim and his arch rival, Energy Minister Yitzhak Modai, was a foregone conclusion. It has been complicated by the decision of Knesset Speaker Menachem Savidor to enter the race.

While Savidor is given no chance of winning, whatever support he garners will be at the expense of the two front-runners, leading to further fragmentation in the already badly divided Liberal ranks.