Herut has been awarded two seats on the Jewish Agency executive and will join that body next January, it was reported here today. At the last World Zionist Congress, objections by Mapai prevented an accord at that time on Herut’s joining the executive, but the objections have not been renewed.
Herut and the Liberal party, which had agreed to run on a joint ticket in the forthcoming elections to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, announced today that they will also conduct a joint campaign for elections to the Histadrut, Israel’s labor federation.
Under their agreement, Herut will get 55 percent of the combined votes while the Liberals will be given the rest of those seats won on the joint list. The list will be headed by Aryeh Ben Eliezer, a Herut deputy speaker of the Knesset, and Liberal Knesset deputy Elimelech Rimalt will have second place on the ticket.
The Histadrut elections will take place in September under the shadow of the rift in the Mapai party between David Ben-Gurion and Premier Levi Eshkol. The Mapai is the strongest group within the Histadrut. The split within the Mapai will also find the Mapai members split in the Histadrut elections.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.